Daughter of Madness
by Lady Zahara
Summary: It was a song taught to children so they would know not to talk to strangers. But was there truth to the rhyme? Was there really a girl with black blood? Slightly AU, Kid/Female!Crona (REVISED! 3 new scenes have been added.)
1. Prolouge

**AN: First a prologue to the story. A song that was taught to young witches for generations and the legend that spawned it.**

**Revised AN: I've gone through and tried to fix as many typos and continuity errors that I could catch. Some character dialogue has been tweaked for better verbiage, but the overall content has stayed the same. The biggest changes I made were in Justin's characterization during his interactions with Giriko and Gopher, I felt in some places he was acting a little too young and naive and have since tried to fix that without changing the overall structure of his scenes.**

**In honor of the story's two year anniversary, I've added 3 new scenes to the last chapter. Hopefully, they will tie up some of the unaddressed issues I left hanging that had people craving a sequel. And as always, thank you so much for reading and supporting this story. I can't tell you how much it means to me.**

_Guess who's back,_

_Dressed in black,_

_Come to take her soul back._

In ancient Greece there was a time when witches and humans lived in peace. Granted there was always a boundary of uncertainty that separated the enchantresses from common folk, but in most of Athens and the other large city-states, they were respected. It was in the smaller villages that ignorance lead to fear and hate. Pandora was one of their victims. She had been born with unnatural pink hair to an unwed mother; this did not sit well with the village of Mavro. They did their best to ignore her whenever possible, not wanting to deal with any bad luck that might befall them should they speak with her. Only one person in the whole village paid her any mind, Persephone.

Persephone was unlike Pandora in many ways. She preferred bright sunny days as opposed to dark winter nights, she had many friends as opposed to one, but above all everyone loved her. Still, to the bewilderment to the village, she reached out to Pandora and tried to teach how to deal with the many beautiful things of the world. Such a positive outlook was rare, for the throne of the Underworld was to change hands at any moment. The west launched on the chance to take hold of as many villages as possible. The villagers feared that Mavro would become one of their targets, in an effort to calm their fears Persephone volunteered to talk with Odin and prove that the village would be safe. None begged her to stay more than Pandora, whose reputation hung on the fate of the village. Still Persephone set forth. Her friend was left defenseless among the narrow-minded villagers. That afternoon Pandora wept under the branches on an old oak tree as she was now alone in the world. As she sobbed, she heard a voice from behind her.

"Such a pretty girl should not be crying in the woods alone." She turned and saw a cloaked boy holding a strange box. She shook her head. Her beautiful? She was a disgrace; dark circles were permanently a part of her features. She was far too skinny and frail to do any work, her eyes an eerie shade of purple, even her face was covered in unsightly blemishes.

"W-who are you?" She sniffed, "I've never seen you around here before."

"My name is Haden." He said with a slight smirk.

"Th-that's a s-strange name." She said as she leaned further into the roots.

"I'm a traveling Lord," He explained, "and couldn't help but see you were crying." He crouched down to her level, his black irises danced with an inhuman mirth. "What could have made you so unhappy?"

"My friend went to talk with Lord Odin about the safety of our village and I have a sinking feeling that she won't return. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen to me." Tears began to flow down her face again. "I don't have anyone else here." The lord frowned and glanced down at the box he held in his hand, then held it out to her.

"Do you know what this is?" She looked to the box and frowned. There was no wood, but in its stead polished sulfur. Twisted bone lined the edges of the box, she recoiled from the sight.

"A box."

"Not just any box." He said placing it in her hands, "This box will grant your deepest desire."

"But I don't have any-"

"It's not really mine to begin with, but you seem to need it more than I. A word of caution, in order to grant your wish, the box must take something equal in value. It will hold your soul in exchange for granting your wish; so don't lose it." Pandora glanced up to protest once more, but Haden was gone. All that remained was the bone and sulfur box that lay in her hands.

_He says come,_

_Let's have some fun,_

_Open the box, the game's begun._

Pandora couldn't bear to leave the box behind. Something that could steal the soul of a person was too dangerous to leave where someone might open it by accident. As the days turned to months, Persephone didn't return. The villagers blamed Pandora, claiming that she bewitched the girl into running off. Despite Pandora's pleas, she stayed the enemy in their eyes. After all, no one was left to side with her. Her treatment eventually became unbearable. When she walked down the street she was spat upon, the grocer would only sell her rotten food, and even her mother grew distant from her. When news of an invasion from the west came, she finally was at her wits end. She no longer knew how to deal with the angry people that surrounded her life. After a particularly cruel day she trudged to her room and looked down at the box. Mud dripped from her clothes as she reached for the lid. Anything had to be better than the treatment she faced day to day. Carefully she threw open the lid.

All at once a black monster burst out of the box, its form dripped as if made of pure liquid. She felt a sickening wave length come from the creature.

"You've have set me free from my prison fragment." Its soul voice curlded, pieces of its body dripped to the floor and took shape; running off in different directions. "In exchange I shall grant your wish, and destroy those that you don't know how to deal with." Her soul ripped itself from her body and was sucked into the box. As the lid snapped tightly closed, the black creature took off, breaking through the roof of her room. She watched as the massive demon disappeared over the horizon.

Slowly she turned to the floor at a puddle the black creature left behind. It quivered and stretched, reaching for the ceiling and twisting into a spire. Limbs jutted out of the sides and the base split. Slowly it grew skin and the black liquid dropped into iron armor. In the stead of the demon stood a man with raven hair, a demon knight with pitch black eyes. A sadistic smile glided across its newly formed features.

"Your wish is my command." He said. Still in shock Pandora watched as the knight walked into Mavro and drew a jet black sword. He sliced the villagers in half like butter, laughing at how their blood painted the dirt. The whole village was becoming a war zone before its prime.

"S-stop." She whispered, "Please, this isn't what I wanted." Still the swords man hacked and hued the dwindling villagers "STOP!" But it was too late; the entire village had been slaughtered. She ran out of the house and grasped the arm of her knight. But no words would come out, only tears.

"I understand miss, but be patient. Your wish is almost granted." She shook her head not understanding. Then the sound of horses drew her attention. A nobleman from the west hopped off of his stead, looking around the village in disbelief. Thunder shook the sky and cold rain poured down on the caravan.

"What happened here?" He demanded.

"It was terrible," The knight said, "our own country thought the town was producing weapons for the east. They slaughtered the whole village before I got here. I did my best to fight them off and look for survivors, but all I found was her." He gestured to Pandora. "She was hiding in a corner behind the doors of her home." The noblemen took her hand.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. Surely they must have been mistaken." He looked to his men. "We are taking her back with us; I can't leave such a beautiful lady behind in such conditions."

"If I may," The knight stated, "I hardly know you, I don't think my conscious could rest if I let her walk off with a strange man." The nobleman was taken aback.

"Are you her caretaker?" The knight nodded, "I suppose you do have the right to follow, very well. We head back to Italy." The man shouted to his companions.

"Beautiful? Me?" She looked to her knight, "He couldn't be serious!" The knight chuckled darkly.

"Have you seen yourself lately?" She looked at her reflection in the ground water and gasped. Her face was clear of all blemishes, she looked less frail, her hair flowed healthy rather than falling limp in the rain.

"I don't understand-"

"Even with a soul as pure as yours was it was still held down with all of the negativity you held. Our body is, after all, a reflection of the soul; without one it will flourish on the madness of the world instead."

"What's madness?" She asked The knight cackled at her naivety.

"You'll see." The knight chuckled.

The nobleman she met turned out to be the son of a wealth Italian merchant. She stayed in Florence and soon married the man that took her away from her Greek village. Still, she could not run from the terror she unleashed onto the world. Dieses began to spread through the countries, poverty enwrapped the smaller towns, and no one could take a step in the world without fear flooding into their soul. As people grew more and more distressed Pandora grew more beautiful. She couldn't stand it! The people of Florence loved her, she had a husband and daughter, all the riches of the world was at her finger tips. But the guilt of unleashing madness onto the world gnawed at her conscious. She dismissed her knight, stopped talking to people, and grew distant from her family. She didn't want to be reminded of the pain she had brought the world with her selfishness.

Eventually the only solace she found was in her rose garden. The white flowers reminded her of how she used to be. Surrounded by the pure flowers, she could pretend to be like them. Until one day when she went to pick a rose and instead pricked her finger on the thorns. She recoiled and went to bring the wound to her lips to alleviate the pain. She stopped, eyes widening at the sight of her hand. Her blood ran black with sin.

_What an act,_

_Her blood is black,_

_She'll never get her soul back._

She tore through the mansion to the embellished room she had lived in for the past thirty years. There, on its own table, sat the sulfur box she had traded her soul for so many years ago. Desperate to undo what she had done, she grabbed to box from its perch and hurtled it to the marble floor; praying that death would be merciful and allow her out of the deal she had made. The box shattered into many pieces and her soul floated free of its prison, yet did not make a move to go back into her body. A long shadow stretched along the floor and a gloved hand grasped the fragile soul.

"Lord Death, thank goodness you've-" She looked up with tear in her eyes. "HADEN!"

"Hmm?" The male Shinigami furrowed his brow, "I'm not-" He stopped midsentence as a memory bursted into his conscience. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Hades, now lord of the underworld." Pandora backed away on the floor in tears.

"B-but when I met you, you said-"

"That I was a traveling lord, which was true. As you can guess my presences wasn't exactly welcomed in the towns that I passed through, so I simply changed one letter of my name while I migrated."

"Then you-"

"Were the one that gave you the box, yes."

"No. Nononononono!" She cried, "This can't be, I thought that if I- and then you-" Pandora curled into a fetal position and bawled. The Shingami frowned at the sight. "I thought that if I broke the box I could take back the wish I made and now~ Oh if only I didn't open that stupid box everything would have been fine."

"…you didn't like the gift." He stated his emotions hard to read.

"How could I, because of it-"

"Then let's make a deal." Hades said, Pandora looked up from her knees. He held the same mischievous smile she saw when she first met him. "Since you don't like the way your wish turned out I'll give your soul a second chance. If one of your decedents can stand in the face in madness I will give you your soul back in exchange for the soul of a Kishen. But if your family can not break free by the 1,000th year your linage will die and your soul will be mine forever." Pandora thought.

"H-how do I know you won't cheat?" The Shinigami chuckled.

"I'll give you a fair chance. Your wavelength can guide your decedents and I will do the same for mine." He pulled on his own soul and held it in his other hand. "Do we have a deal?" Pandora hesitated then nodded placing a hand on his soul.

"Deal."

_If she's won,_

_When she's done,_

_She'll be back on square one._

**AN: What do you think? I might continue, but if I don't get enough response I'll leave it as a one-shot. If continued the next chapter will start 914 years in the future to Death City before Arachnophobia. **


	2. Deja Vu

**AN: Here we go, back by popular demand. Hope that this meets your expectations. I tweaked the storyline a bit, so bear with me. The opening starts after Arachne is introduced. **

**Declaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. This story contains spoilers from volume 8 and onward. **

Over the years, a simple rhyme had been chalked up to a fairy tale that would trick small children to not talk to strangers. How could there be an Underworld? Shinigami were revered as noble protectors of the natural world order and witches were evil enchantresses that caused merciless destruction. Even under the threat of madness the ancient covenant still held true 914 years later, whether people chose to believe it or not.

Deep within the libraries of Shibusen a young man leaned against the counter engrossed in his own thoughts. Recently the balance of the world had tipped and the first Kishen was released into the world, but that was not what currently troubled the teen.

"I'm sorry sir, it appears that the book was borrowed two months ago and has not been returned as of yet…" The boy turned to face the librarian who addressed him, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Do you know who borrowed it? I'll get it from that person directly." He asked, there was a pause as the librarian fetched the release form.

"Due to an error on our part, we don't know." The boy looked down at the signature 'M'. Running a hand through his stripped hair, his gold eyes searched for the missing letters. Suddenly he stopped.

"I see, thank you for your time." He muttered and exited the building. The boy was Death the Kid, son of the governing shinigami. He became suspicious of his father's past when he found a magical tool with his father's signature on it. The inventor of said tool was hardly known in Death City, Nevada. Not only that, but the only book on him was checked out. The young shinigami sighed. Since the inventor was a wizard he doubted any of the Death Scythes would divulge any information to him without arising suspicion. If he had a connection to the magical world, he probably would have better luck. Unfortunately he didn't know anybody who had contact with witches.

A dark figure slunk down the hall behind him, trying to conform to the shadows. The shinigami turned abruptly.

"Who's there!" He snapped, irritable from the whole ordeal.

"Ahh!" A high pitched voice squeaked. "Shinigami-kun! I-I'm sorry. I was just heading to my room." It was the demon sword. This was the second time he had encountered the pink-haired miester.

Flash -o- back

Kid had just found his way to the deck of the ship Nidhogg. He had been left defenseless at the hands of the Flying Dutchman when he was separated from Liz. Finally he had caught up with his other partner.

"Liz! You moron! Because of you, I couldn't use Patty!" He shouted.

"Kid, watch out!" Liz warned. Kid turned to see the Flying Dutchman at the helm, his shot gun aimed right for Kid. Before the spirit could pull the trigger, a black sword hurtled to the ship, slicing the head and shot gun in half. Kid stood transfixed as a cloaked figure emerged from the fog and grasped the handle of the blade.

Immediately he knew who it was, the demon sword that attacked Soul. He was taken aback by the 'fearsome' sword's appearance. Uneven pink hair, modest black clothing; this was hardly the black demon Soul had described. The miester touched their forehead to the hilt and muttered something. The sword let out a piercing scream.

All at once the souls from the bough of the ship rose and were sucked into the mouth of the blade. The miester's eyes fogged over, briefly lost in another world. Then just as suddenly as the souls had vanished, the miester crumpled over in pain. Black wings shot out of the miester's back. She looked at him, eyes still glistening with pain, and took a step back. She had finally noticed he was aboard the vessel.

"Do you know where hell is?" She asked looking to the ground. "It's in your mind." She raised her sword with trembling hands. "I'm so scared... If I stay this way everyone will leave me behind. So I get stronger. If you get in my way," She said finally locking eyes with the shinigami. "I'll kill you." Those eyes held years of torment behind them. Kid had to act fast. In an instant he had leapt from his spot on the deck and launched a counter attack.

"Getting power," Kid growled, attacking the swords man, "is that the way you rid yourself of fear! You fool! If you really want to wipe away your fear, then make your soul stronger!" He shot a finishing blow, confident he had bested the demon sword. As the smoke cleared, his opponent dived in and attack from below. The girl stayed in the air as Kid recovered from the blow. When he looked up he was surprised to see the girl was on the verge of tear.

"Someone like you would never understand. Even bunnies don't understand. If bunnies don't understand… there's no way a perfect shinigami like you could understand. Leave me alone!"

It was the first time someone called him perfect.

Flash -o- back -o- end

The demon sword miester joined DWMA shortly after the Kishen's release. Kid had to admit, this was the first time he had talked to the demon miester since their meeting on Nidhogg. The pinkette had worked with Medusa, the snake witch, and was the reason Asura escaped. Still Maka had insisted that it was not by choice that the sword miester had worked with the witch.

"I'm sorry for getting in your way." The shy girl mumbled. Kid briefly nodded to the witch's daughter.

"No, I'm sorry for snapping at you." Kid began to walk down the hall, and then paused. Crona was a witch's daughter! Of all the people in school, she would know the most about Eibon. He turned; ready to call out her name, but the young miester had already vanished down the hall. I was just as well, if he asked her directly she might've been scared off by his bluntness. There had to be a way to get her help without scaring her off. But how?

-8-0-8-

Panting, Crona slammed the beat up metal door of her room shut. Slowly she sunk to the floor, still shaking with adrenaline. As she caught her breath Ragnarok emerged.

"What the hell was that about Crona?" Ragnarok shouted, bopping his miester's head.

"I…didn't…know…how…to deal…with him." Crona panted.

"Oh, I see." Ragnarok smiled wickedly. "You know, if you run away from everyone you can't deal with you'll give yourself a heart attack." He said casually.

"WHAT!" Crona squeaked. "My heart can attack me! Oh no!" Crona began to rant.

"Crona." Ragnarok tried.

"What can I do if I can't trust my own heart? Will I be able to sleep tonight?"

"Crona!"

"What if it pops out of my chest and walks on little feet when I'm not looking! What if it can use my own blood against me!" She gasped.

"CRONA!"

"I don't know how to deal with this!"

"DAMN IT CRONA!" Ragnarok pulled on the pinkette's hair "That's not what a heart attack is! Your heart's not gonna' literally pop of your chest dummy!"

"It won't?" Crona sniffled. She was rewarded with a swift smack to the head.

"No it won't, but if you panic too much I won't be able to come out. Then where would you be?" Ragnarok scolded, folding his pudgy arms.

"…right here." Crona answered, confused.

"ARGH!" Ragnarok shouted. "Don't you know a rhetorical question when you hear it!?"

"P-please don't hit me!" Crona squeaked under the light blows from her partner. She fell on her stomach as she tried to deflect Ragnarok. He frowned when Crona stopped fighting.

"What's with you? Usually you start whining about now." He asked. He stopped hitting her in order to rest on top of her messy pink hair.

"The bed is bolted to the floor." She commented. Her fingers gentle traced the bolt and surrounding stone.

"Really captain obvious, I had no idea." Ragnarok scoffed.

"But look at it," She said pointing to the stressed bolt, "The stone around it's all scratched up." The blob peered over her shoulder.

"Hey you're right. Come to think of it everything in here's bolted down." Crona rose from the floor and inspected the dresser and tables. Each furnishing was bolted to the stone floor at the legs. The surrounding stone had been carved unevenly, creating a little room to jostle the furnishings.

"They all have the same scratches." She looked up to her partner. "What does it mean?"

"What am I, an encyclopedia?" Ragnarok demanded. "I don't know! Maybe somebody else stayed in this room! You seriously worry way too much."

-8-0-8-

The next day Kid sat in class and tried to think of a way to get Crona to help him. He looked down at Crona, a plan forming, but how could he get Crona alone? He saw the pinkette ask Maka something, but her friend shook her head and shrugged. Crona hung her head, then suddenly scribbled something furiously on a folded piece of paper.

The bell rang and as Kid packed his bag Crona snuck up behind him and left the folded paper on his desk. When Kid looked up she was gone. He carefully unfolded the note and read what was inside. It read as follows.

'Dear Shinigami-kun,

I have to ask you something, meet me in the library during lunch.'

This was his chance to talk to Crona. He tucked the note away into his pocket and slipped out of the class while Stein cleaned up. He hurried into the library to meet Crona.

"Crona?" He called. There was a soft squeak from behind one of the book cases. "…Crona?" He asked with a softer tone.

"I didn't think you would come." She said. Crona peaked from behind a book case.

"Why wouldn't I come?" Kid asked, kneeling down to her level.

"You…you don't like me, you think I'm stupid."

"When have I ever-" He stopped, remembering their battle on the Nidhogg. "Oh. I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean that you were stupid, I just…" Kid struggled to think of something that wouldn't scare the girl away. "Uh…Well… I know now that you- No, that won't do." This was not going how he planned it! He held his head searching for the right words to pacify Crona. She slowly pulled herself from the books.

"Shinigami-kun?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm worthless scum who can't even comfort an innocent girl!" Crona warred with herself whether or not to place a comforting hand on the boy. Kid slowly lowered his hands and looked up at Crona, a little ashamed of himself. "The reason I came was to ask you something."

"W-what?" Crona took a step back, "You wanted to ask me something?" Kid nodded, then glanced over his shoulder at a few of the students who were milling about the library.

"Not here though, there are too many people." Kid walked to the door and gestured for Crona to follow. As she fidgeted, she reluctantly followed the boy out into the hall. Kid checked to see if anyone was coming then sighed. He really shouldn't confuse the trial student by giving her reasons to doubt his father, but he needed the help. Besides, if his father was innocent it could shatter any doubts Crona herself might have. "As you know," Kid whispered, "my father has been collecting magical tools." Crona nodded. "I recently found that my father knew who created them, but I don't know why."

"Didn't he tell you why when he told you this?" Crona asked, Kid sighed.

"That's just it, he didn't tell me. I wasn't supposed to find out about it." Kid hung his head. "I have no idea what the magic tools were made for or why. I can't ask any of the Death Scythes, that's why I need you."

"Me!" Crona gasped, "But I don't know anything about Shibusen. You know more about Shinigami-sama then me."

"I know that, but I need your help investigating. You are the only person I can trust." Crona backed into the wall, shaking her head.

"I can't. I don't know how to deal with investigations!" She flinched.

"Alright." Crona opened her eyes confused.

"…what, that's it?"

"It's your decision to make. I could always use your help though." Putting his hands in his pockets, Kid began to walk away.

"What do you think you're doing idiot." Ragnarok hissed. "That kid is Shinigami's son."

"I know that." Crona squeaked. Ragnarok stared at her expectantly, and then hit her when she said nothing.

"So, go ask him for a different room! He just asked you for your help, you could use that as leverage!"

"B-but I don't want to black mail Shinigami-kun!"

"Go get his help of I'll…" Ragnarok reached for the hem of Crona's skirt.

"No! Don't! I'll ask." She dashed down the hall to catch up with the shinigami. "Shinigami-kun!" Kid turned around. "If I help you investigate will you help me?" Kid thought a moment.

"Deal."


	3. But the Tools are Magical

**BakaMokashiMokashi: I'm glad you like how the story is so far. I hope you like the new chapter.**

**Chabeli05: I love to hear from my readers, and I'm glad that you are getting into the story. I only have the bare bones outlined, so I don't really know what all will happen myself. We'll just have to wait and see. ^^**

**CrazyAnime3: I'm glad you like the change in setting. I was a little worried that it would confuse people. I do plan to tie it in with the current storyline so fear not! Pandora has not truly been forgotten.**

"I see." Kid concluded as he walked to the cafeteria with Crona. "I don't know who could have been down there. As far as I know you're the first guest we've had."

"Oh." Crona sighed.

"Who knows, it could have been Black Star." Kid shrugged.

"Why would he be in my room!" Crona fretted.

"He used to come here to train on the steps when he was younger. It could be that he played in the rooms of the school as well." They walked into the mess hall and went separate ways. "Library. After school." Kid reminded before sitting with Liz and Patty.

"Crona!" Maka called. "Over here." Crona made her way over to the table where her friends sat. Maka looked over her shoulder at Kid as he sat down with his partners. "What was that all about?" Crona bit her lip, not sure if Kid wanted the others to know. If she told them, Kid might stop trusting her.

"I…Um-" Crona stuttered.

"She was just pestering Stripes about getting a new room." Ragnarok supplied.

"Oh, o.k. then." Maka said as she eyed them. "Well if that's all then maybe you can come over to our place to study for the upcoming from after school."

"…after school?" Crona muttered. She couldn't go! She had to help Kid in the library today. "I can't!"

"Hunh? Why not?" Maka asked.

"Uh… Kid said he was going to help me with a… a project!" Crona exclaimed. "Yeah! A project! To catch up with the rest of the class! Kid suggested that I should learn how to resonance with other people like the other students." Maka's brow furrowed.

"I thought you didn't know how to deal with Kid." Soul supplied. Crona froze, she suddenly became aware of the others' stares. She began to fiddle with the folds in her dress to alleviate the stress.

"Well Maka wanted me to learn how to deal with more people. So I thought I could do it one person at a time?"

"O.k. then." Maka chirped. With a sigh of relief, Crona poked at the food in her bento. Truth be told, she still didn't know how to deal with him. It was strange, when she met Maka, it wasn't the same as the other people she had fought with. It was as if she knew her before then, perhaps they had passed each other on the street or something. And then, when they became friends, nothing in the world made more sense.

When she met Kid however, she was terrified. Medusa had said that shinigami were soulless monsters that hunted down witches and ate their souls. Then she saw him, and obvious shingami, with a powerful soul wavelength; one that wanted to defeat her and bring her mission to a halt. There was an underlying bloodlust that had shook her to her core, the soul of a boy who had killed many like her before. That was the soul she had expected to see when she bumped into him again. What she saw instead was a negative wave length that held the same warm familiarity that she had felt with Maka. And that was what scared her the most.

"You know," Maka said through a mouthful of food. "If you're going to resonance with another person you should first study souls."

"Won't she just end up further behind?" Tsubaki asked.

"Actually if she doesn't she'll probably fail the class." Maka corrected

"What! I don't want to fail!" Crona pouted.

"That's why you have to start with the basics. If you jump to the end of a lesson without knowing the beginning, any information you gain will be useless."

"Oh, I see." Crona nodded.

"So instead of jumping right into resonating, you should review phasmology or if you practice fighting, to study weapons." Or before studying Shinigami-sama, study the tools themselves.

"Thanks Maka, that helped me a lot." Crona beamed.

"What!" Ragnarok cried. "You thank her immediately for that?"

"Why does that bother you?" Crona asked. Her partner paused.

"Nothing… Now give me some food!" He growled.

-8-0-8-

Kid sat in the corner table of the library while he drummed his fingers on the wood surface. He had finally gotten Crona's help, but with what? He had hoped to ask her about the witches' role in making the magical tools, but he didn't want to scare her off.

A small cough alerted him to the presence of another person. As he glanced up, he smiled at the girl who had found him among the shadowed shelves of books.

"Crona, you made it!" He said. Crona nodded shyly and sunk into the chair opposite of Kid. She picked at the grooves in the wood of the table, thinking of what to say. Finally, she looked up.

"How much did you know before you asked for my help?" Crona stuttered.

"Magical tools are dangerous items that were built by my father and the wizard-"

"A-about the magical tools." She interrupted.

"What?"

"What do you know about the magical tools?" Kid stared at her in silence. "Ah! I didn't mean to insult you, but if we don't know what the tools are for, how do we know Shinigami-sama is doing suspicious? If they just built something silly like a toaster then we'd feel silly for worrying about it… but that in itself is silly- But still we should double check... and I… I'll just stop talking… now." Crona hid her face behind her hair. She slowly stood up, there was no way he'd want her help now. Her actions sobered Kid's laughter and he stood to reach out to her.

"I'm sorry." He said. As she turned she felt a soft hand grasp her wrist. "I didn't mean to laugh at you. The reason I was laughing was that you are right. I never considered that the tools were for something innocent." He sighed as Crona relaxed under his touch. "We should get started."

-8-0-8-

Thanks to Crona they managed to find sections on the magic tools in six different books. However the books were extremely thick, the smallest only three hundred forty-six pages. His shoes clicked on the stone floor as he walked through the dungeon hall with three of the books in his arms.

"Thank you again Crona." He said and he turned his head to look at the small girl.

"No problem." She said as she adjusted her half of the text. "I don't mind lending the space; I have lots of spare room."

"It's just that I don't want Liz and Patty to find the books and become suspicious." Crona nodded in agreement.

"Ragnarok, could you open the door for me?"

"And why should I do that?" Ragnarok huffed. "Is it my fault that you spent 3 hours in a boring library looking for heavy books to carry? No! I-"

"Please?" Crona begged. Ragnarok froze mid rant and sighed.

"Fine." He pushed the metal door open.

"Thank you." She said as she entered the room.

"HOLY CRAP!" Ragnarok proclaimed. "Hell's froze over! My little Crona just thanked me without prompting! Did you hear that Stripes." The blob turned to see Kid frozen in the door way. "Stripes? You o.k.?" Kid's face was pale, his hands fell limp and the tomes fell to the floor. 'Oh my god.' He mouthed as he took a step back.

"Shingami-kun, what's wrong?" Crona asked. She set the books down and rushed to his side.

"Just look at this place! I have never seen something so… so horrible! The bed is forced against the left side of the room, there's only one dresser and THAT!" He exclaimed, and pointed to the worn desk in the corner. "That table has a stain in the lower left corner!" He turned to Crona. "You have completely understated the severity of your situation." He bowed to her. "And then he had the nerve to bolt down the furniture. Taunting bolts!" He walked over the sink, prepared to contact his father about the matter.

"Maybe we should put the books somewhere else, somewhere you'd be more comfortable."

"No, this room is perfect." Kid said hollowly.

"WHAT! But earlier-"

"This is the only room in the school that doesn't have a mirror." Kid said. He turned to face Crona and gestured to what she had previously thought to be a dingy mirror. Sweat dripped down his forehead and he forced a smile. "The 'mirror' you have is just reflective metal, not even a polished piece at that. I can't use it to contact my father which means he can't see us if we use your room as a temporary study." Kid's knees shook as he tried to maintain his composure in front of Crona. The last thing he needed was for his disorder to scare her off. Crona saw his internal battle and guided him out to the symmetrical hall. He breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the tomes he had dropped. "Sorry, I was just unprepared for so much asymmetry. Tomorrow I'll have more time to brace myself."

"T-tomorrow?" Crona asked taking the books from his hands. Kid nodded as he straightened out his shirt.

"Yes, we can start going through the books tomorrow after my mission." Crona nodded in response and shyly waved as he walked down the hall. She hauled the books into her room and closed the door.

"He's coming back." She whispered, a puzzled frown crept on her face only to be drowned in a wave of panic "What am I going to tell Maka?"

-8-0-8-

"Another study session?" Maka asked in disbelief, "Crona that's the twelfth one in a row!" It was true; Crona had been working hard with Kid to solve the mystery of the magic tools. The tools were amplifiers for different aspects of the soul, each with their own unique abilities. Of course she couldn't tell Maka that. Kid had made it clear that on one other than her was to know about the research.

"Well I still have a lot of catching up to do." Crona said. She looked down to the floor, unable to meet Maka's gaze. It hurt that she could lie to Maka so easily now.

"Still, you need to have fun once in a while."

"I'm sorry Maka, I just can't right now." Crona bowed and rushed off before Maka could object. She was becoming nosier about what Crona had been doing during her studies. Crona sighed, she didn't know how long she could keep this up.

-8-0-8-

He didn't know how long he could keep this up. Kid knocked on the door to Crona's room, and braced himself for the impending asymmetry. It had taken him a while, but finally he could tolerate the dusty cell. The immobile furniture bothered him, but he could put up with it. After all he had a nice symmetrical room to return to at the end of the day; Crona just had to bear with it until he could find a way to casually suggest that Crona's accommodations should improve.

Crona opened the door and let in the young shinigami. She frowned as he slumped to the floor near the open books.

"Shinigami-kun, are you alright? We can go to the library if you want." Crona suggested. Kid meekly shook his head.

"I'm fine." He dismissed. "Let's get to work." Kid struggled to read the font on the page before him, body ached. Truth be told, he was simply exhausted. His father had been giving him more missions as of late. Today he had to complete two back to back. This wouldn't have been a problem if he went straight home afterward, but he had to find out what his father was up to. So instead of going home he told his partners that he had an errand to run and would be back in a few hours. At first Liz had objected to Kid being out at eleven in the morning, but soon gave up the fight when Kid insisted on going.

They had made progress on what the magic tools were for. The key he had taken from the train was made to extend the duration of a resonance link. All the tools seemed to contain similar properties. One could double the power of a person's wave length, another gave artificial soul perception; but one in particular had caught his eye. The brew; a magic tool said to have accidentally gained a dual property. The tool was designed to amplify the other magic tools, but something had gone wrong and it instead amplified the magic of an individual. Not only that, but in the wrong hands it could accelerate the madness within the user's soul.

"Shini-kun?" Crona asked as Kid once again slumped with exhaustion. "Shini-kun are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Kid murmured as he sluggishly turned to face the pinkette. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you're alright, you don't look so good." Kid shook his head and leaned against the wall behind them, and almost missing the stone.

"No, before that." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Umm-"

"You called me something." His eye lids drooped as he fought sleep.

"Oh, that!" Crona exclaimed, "Maka said that when people know each other a long time, they call each other by their first name and since we've been working together I thought it was O.K. to call you by your first name-" Kid's head lolled to the side and rested on her shoulder.

"I don't mind." He said softly, his eyes fell closed. Crona sat ridged, face flushed, and looked down to the dark haired boy. She sighed and slowly relaxed under the weight. She brushed some stray hairs from his face. It was strange to see him completely calm like this. His breath tickled at her neck and she couldn't help but let out a little smile.

"Poor Shini-kun," She sighed. "You've been working so hard." Moaning softly, Kid shifted to curl up closer to her. Drowsy herself, Crona leaned gently against Kid.

"You know, it's dangerous to trust a shinigami like this." Ragnarok warned. Crona curled closer to Kid.

"I know." She murmured. Ragnarok sighed and pulled the sheet off of the bed. He shook his head as he draped the cotton around the two.

"Just don't get yourself hurt." He said and receded into her back.


	4. Stripes

**AN: Ahh I feel the love, about a hundred people have been following the story. I'm glad you all like the story, and I edited this chapter so it should be loads better. I try to update every Thursday, but I thank you to all of you for giving me the chance to take my time. This is a new fandom I'm writing for and each one is different. Now that I'm writing a chapter ahead, things will go smoother. Now, on to the review responses!**

**Chabeli05: I paced myself with this chapter, so hopefully it's better. I'm glad you liked how the characters turned out. One of my biggest concerns when writing Fanfiction is keeping characters in character, but still have them follow my desired story line. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**BloodyWolf3: Heheheh madness… anyway, glad you like the story and I hope you enjoy the story as it progresses. Thank you for reading and reviewing**

**B01: Fear not, the prologue will make sense as the story progresses. And thank you, as I said before I try to update on Thursdays, if I don't give myself a dead line the stories never get finished. Still thank you for reading and reviewing. ^^**

**CrazyAnime3: How could I not update this story, I have to get all these ideas out before their lost forever. Thank you for reviewing and reading.**

**silver dagger: I will never stop! Well I'll have to when the story ends, but that won't be for a while. ^^ The plot is taking some time to heat up, but you may see some more of Pandora and Hades in the future. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**And now to the story!**

_ Kid squinted as bright light suddenly surrounded him, despite his blurred vision he could make out a few details in the room. A chandelier hung above him, bathing his body in white light. Behind him a stark black cauldron, perhaps iron, lay in the center of the room. Each blur to his left was mirrored on the right. Even the bookcase seemed neatly organized, though he couldn't quiet tell._

_ Someone grasped his shoulders which made him look up at a blurred silhouette before him. The white blur knelt to his level._

_ "Oh~ oh my." A female voice gasped. "Just look at you!" He tried desperately to read the expression of the woman, but all he could make out was an illuminated blur._

_ "Is something wrong?" He asked. His words felt awkward on his tongue and escaped his throat with a childish pitch. The woman's arms wrapped around him in a warm hug; the soft jersey of her dress tickled at his cheek._

_ "No, I couldn't be happier." She professed. He could feel tears begin to trickle down his back. _

~o~

Kid woke with a start, immediately his gaze fell to the wall in front of him. His heart began to beat ferociously as he glanced around the asymmetrical room. As he fisted his hair, a strangled yelp ripped from his throat. The noise woke Crona abruptly, she looked up at Kid who was rocking slowly as he bit his bottom lip.

"Shini-kun?" She asked tentatively. Her hand trembled as she lightly rested it on his shoulder. Kid turned to the person who touched him. When he saw it was Crona, he relaxed a little. Memories of what had taken place the previous night flooded back. "Shini-kun, you're shaking!"

"I'm sorry, I must have frightened you." He apologized. His eyes drifted away from her and began to scrutinize the room once more. She stood and offered a hand to him. While they walked out of the room, Kid felt relief flood over him as he was once more surrounded by beautiful symmetry. He frowned as he felt something touch his shirt."Crona, what are you doing?" He asked when he noticed the girl was futzing with his clothes.

"Ah!" She blushed and immediately released the hold she had on his clothes. "You're shirt got rumpled and it was bothering me." She lowered her gaze, but not before straightening his tie clip. "School's about to start so…"

"Right!" Kid shouted, a little louder than he had anticipated. After a pregnant pause Kid bowed shallowly. "Er- see you later." Crona nodded and watched Kid sprint down the hall.

"What was that?" Ragnarok demanded as he smacked her on the head.

"What was what?"

"You know what I mean. Stop it or I'll steal your bed sheets!" Ragnarok threatened.

"I don't know what I did~" She whined. Her partner silenced her with another smack to the head. "Fine, I promise."

-8-0-8-

"KID!" Liz shouted, and ran across the class room. She enveloped her miester in a tight embrace. "Where we you last night, you had us worried sick!"

"Yeah." Patty smirked with a shake of her finger. "Explain yourself mister."

"…Liz…I can't…breathe." Kid choked out. Liz immediately released the suffocating shinigami. Other students filtered into the classroom as Kid caught his breath.

"What's going on?" Maka asked.

"Kid's been missing since his mission yesterday and now he's shown up for class." Black Star supplied. Everyone turned to look at the assassin inquisitively. "What?"

"How did you know that?" Liz asked with her arms crossed.

"Hello, I'M GOD!" Black Star proclaimed.

"And Patty told us this morning." Soul supplied.

"Anyway," Liz dismissed, "Where were you? You haven't been home since yesterday!"

"Yeah and you're hair's all messy." Patty commented. Liz had tried to stop her, but it was too late. Kid heard.

"…my hair? What's wrong with my hair!" Kid rushed over to the nearest mirror and stared horrified at his reflection. His hair was now disheveled and flipped to the side at an odd angle. "I'm…hideous." He slumped to the floor, defeated by his own hair.

"Well there he goes." Liz groaned. "I doubt we'll get anything out of him for a while." She went over to talk him out of the fetal position.

"What, why?" Crona asked, "What's going on?" Maka shook her head and sighed.

"Kid has these symmetry breakdowns. If he thinks he's done something asymmetrical he becomes extremely depressed." Maka explained. Crona turned to see Kid slumped on the floor going on about how he shouldn't live. She thought back to his panic attack when he woke up in her bedroom. Everyone seemed to make light of the situation, but she knew for a fact that if he stayed like that he would start to panic again. She walked over to where Kid lay slumped on the floor.

"Eh, Crona, what are you doing?" Maka asked. Crouching in front of him, Crona carefully adjusted the boy's hair back to his liking.

"There," she said, "it's symmetrical again." Kid shook his head.

"It's no use." He sobbed. "No madder how hard you try, I will always be an abomination. I'm a worthless piece of thrash that was born a deformed monster. I'm doomed, doomed for failure!" Liz groaned and massaged her temples in response to his antics; it was too early in the morning for this.

"What are you talking about?" Crona frowned.

"…this." He pointed to the three white stripes that decorated his hair. "This is my curse."

"But without those, you wouldn't be Shini-kun." Crona said. With those words everyone froze.

"Crona," Maka started, almost like a mother before a long talk.

"What, what's wrong?" Crona asked as she saw her friends around her struggle to swallow their laughter.

"Remember when I told you call people-" Maka began.

"But Shinigami-kun said it was alright." Crona defended.

"Man Kid," Soul chuckled, "you're letting girls call you by pet names now?" Crona had succeeded in halting the shingami's depression; unfortunately it had been replaced with embarrassment.

-8-0-8-

"Black Star will never let me live this down." Kid conceded. Crona tugged at her hair, her thin lips formed a delicate frown.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." She testified.

After their friends had, had their fill of teasing Kid, they moved on to actual class. Now that class was over, the two sat at the darkest table in the library. They had already gleamed all useful information from the other four books and were on the last two.

Kid shook his head, the torchlight from the library mad his shadow dance on the floor. "No, it's O.K. Those two are just immature." Kid consoled. Crona bit her lip; she didn't want to make Kid uncomfortable in front of the others. It would probably be best if she didn't call him Shini-kun anymore, but he had said it was O.K. In fact the only people it seemed to bother were her friends. Coming to a decision she nodded, she wouldn't call him Shini-kun in front of the others anymore; but he would always be Shini-kun to her. After a while Crona was startled by Kid as he slammed his book shut. "It's no use." He sighed.

"Hunh?" Crona asked. The interruption had torn her from her own research.

"There isn't a single lead on Eibon in any of these." Kid groaned. It couldn't be, he was back on square one! Two weeks and all they could come up with was the identity of the magical tools.

"Eibon?" Crona gasped.

"Yes, he was the one that constructed the magical tools with my father. I found their signatures in the mechanism of the ghost train." Crona's frown deepened. "Crona?"

"I don't understand." She mumbled.

"What is it Crona?" Kid tried to contain his excitement. "Do you know something about Eibon?" Was he finally able to ask Crona about the wicken world?

"Well when I was younger the older witches would tell us stories while our mothers went to witches mass." She paused as she tried to recall the tale. "Once upon a time there were two young witches who were very curious about the world around them. They worked very hard to gather as much knowledge about magic as possible. The older witch gathered knowledge about enchantments, familiars, and pure witch craft. She wanted to teach her knowledge to witches all over the world. The younger sister gathered knowledge about sorcery, necromancy, and alchemy; so that witches would know what spells were forbidden. The two taught many witches over the years and watched them grow older and wiser.

"Now this reminded them of their own mortality. The two didn't want the knowledge they gathered to disappear. So they took a book and filled it with the knowledge they had gathered. Inside they placed a magic spell that would transcribe the knowledge of all who opened the book, so that when they died, the book would still collect knowledge. They called their creation Eibon.

"Unfortunately there was an error in their spell. When people looked to the tome for information, the spell would receive an imprint of the emotions felt by the reader. This error went unnoticed by the two sisters and they died before the spell could be fixed. Witches began to look into the book in search of a forbidden magic that would save them from death. The fear and hatred became trapped inside the book and gave the spell a life of its own. The book was labeled as a threat to the balance of the world and was sealed away. Never to be opened again.

"There might have been more, but I've forgotten the rest." Crona admitted. Kid shook his head; it was just a story, it wasn't true. It couldn't be true! If he acknowledged that there was never a person named Eibon then all of their efforts would be for naught.

"It's probably just a story to frighten children." Kid said. Crona folded her hands in her lap and averted her eyes to the stone floor. Some help she turned out to be. The two sat in the library, an air of gloom about them. Kid glanced up at Crona, a small frown plastered on her face. Standing from his seat, Kid tucked his hands in his pockets. "Come on."

"Hmm?" Crona looked up to meet the Shingami's gold rimmed eyes.

"We've been working too hard, let's take a break."


	5. Epiphany

**AN: I just read chapter 95 of Soul Eater, the tension is killing me! Anyway, I have been having a blast while writing this story! I noticed that my last chapter was distinctly missing Ragnarok, I have fixed this. Ragnarok for all! Now, review response time.**

**Chabeli05: I'm glad you like the chapter. I must admit, I didn't know how well the nickname would go over. More Kid and Crona coming right up. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**CrazyAnime3: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Now onto the story!**

"Hey, look who finally decided to show up." Soul chuckled as Kid and Crona made their way to the court.

"Crona, you came to play with us?" Tsubaki asked.

"No," Crona shook her head, "I don't know how to deal with Basketball."

"Me neither," Maka said as she rushed over to Crona's side. "Crona and I will sit this one out; you guys go ahead and play." Maka grabbed Crona's arm and guided her to a park. "They were trying to get me to play even though I still don't know the rules." Maka explained. Her demeanor turned to one of concern as she looked at her friend. "Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Hunh? I'm perfectly fine. Why?" Crona asked.

"Well you've been working so hard after class; I thought something might be wrong. I mean, I've hardly seen you outside of school." She paused. "Crona how many units have you covered?"

"Ah! Umm… four. I'm almost caught up. I still have one unit to go." Crona fibbed. Her friend's concern increased.

"Crona, you know you can always talk to me if something's wrong." Maka said earnestly. Something was bothering her, she knew it. The way Crona fidgeted gave it away.

"Really Maka, I'm fine." She lied. "I've just been busy with school work." Another lie.

"Crona-" Maka started, but was cut off by Crona's nervous laughter.

"My, they look like their having fun out there. I think I'll go join them." She stood abruptly and rushed to the court; eager to avoid her current interrogation. Doubt clouded Maka's mind as Crona traded places with Tsubaki on the court. The blonde crossed here arms when Tsubaki sat down.

"What was that about?" Tsubaki asked.

"Crona's hiding something." Maka affirmed. "I asked how many units she still had cover and she said four. Normally I wouldn't interrogate her like that, but she's been acting so strange."

"Maka, I don't see what's so suspicious about that."

"But Tsubaki, she said she still has one more to catch up on, were just finishing unit three." Maka held her head in her hands. "I just don't know what to do."

"Crona look out!" Soul shouted. Maka glanced up and saw Crona turn to Soul, only to be smacked in the face with a basketball. The pinkette fell backwards onto the hard cement.

"CRONA!" Maka shouted.

"What the hell you guys!" Kid shouted to Soul and Black Star from his place at Crona's side.

"I told her to watch out." Soul defended. "How was I supposed to know that she would turn towards the ball?"

"Well of course she's going to turn to the moron shouting to get her attention!" Kid groaned.

"Seriously Soul that was an epic fail." Black Star said sagely. Maka crouched on the other side of Crona's limp form.

"You're one to talk; you threw the ball at her!" Soul growled.

"She'll be fine." Black Star dismissed.

"Come on Crona wake up." Kid said, gently shaking her.

"Or not." Black Star corrected.

"You knocked her unconscious!" Maka shouted indignantly.

"Let's get Crona to Nygus." Kid suggested.

"Right." Maka agreed. "I'll get you for this later!" She shouted as she helped Kid carry Crona.

"Man you're going to be in for it." Soul whispered to Black Star.

"So are you Soul!" Maka threatened from across the court.

-8-0-8-

When Crona finally awoke, it was due to Ragnarok's incessant poking. She stirred and slowly sat up.

"Thank goodness you're up!" Ragnarok gasped. "I came out to tell them you're fine and the next thing I know I'm squished under your giant, empty head!" As Ragnarok ranted, Crona noticed that she was in the nurse's office.

"What happened?" She asked. The blob stared at her and sighed.

"Damn you're clueless. You got hit in the face with a basketball and everyone freaked out." He paused. "Maybe you shouldn't work with the shinigami today."

"I can't stop because of an accident!" Crona gasped. "He still needs my help."

"Does he really?" Ragnarok asked darkly.

"Of course he does, he asked me to help him himself." Crona reasoned meekly.

"That was two weeks ago, he probably doesn't need your help anymore."

"But he said-"

"Think about it Crona! That look in his eyes when you said you knew something about Eibon. He's using you!"

"No, he would never do something like that." Crona said on the verge of tears.

"How can you be so sure, you hardly know him Crona. He's a shinigami, the moment he finds out you know nothing about Eibon he'll throw you away!"

"I don't know how to deal with being abandoned." Crona sniffled.

"Then do something about it! You always do this, Crona. If you don't get off your ass and do something he'll find someone else who will help him!" Lose Kid? She held her face in her hands and let silent tears make patterns on her dress. She didn't want to lose him. For the first time she felt wanted, no, needed and now it was slipping through her fingers. "What you need to do is get out of this situation before you end up hurt or worse."

"I want to help him." She choked out.

"Fine, help him." Ragnarok groused. Crona looked up at her partner with blood shot eyes.

"But you said-"

"I don't care what choice you make. But you better not half ass it." He balled his hand into a fist. "Whatever decision you make, you better stick with it." He smacked her on the top of her head. "I don't want to see you crying again unless it's because of me."

"O.K." Crona nodded. In order to make sure Kid needed her help, she would have to find more information about witches. Shinigami-sama wouldn't have many books about wicken society, and she didn't know anything about their history either. If only she had access to Medusa's books. She could go back to the lab and get them, but Medusa destroyed the lab while she still worked at Shibusen. She stood from the bed.

"I should let everyone know I'm O.K." She mumbled, still deep in thought, her foot snagged on something near the nurse's desk. "OW!" She stumbled forward and gripped the desk to keep her balance. She glanced down to see what it was she caught her foot on. "A book?" she mused. She would have asked Ragnarok about it, but she could tell he was mad at her. The way his wavelength fluctuated around her told her so.

The book she had tripped on was propping up a broken leg of the desk. Kneeling on the floor, Crona read the spine of the book. She carefully pulled the book from under the desk and flipped through the pages.

"Oh my- THIS IS IT!" Crona squealed as she ran out of the room, book in hand. Poor Nygus would later return to a lopsided desk.

-8-0-8-

"Crona, what's the rush?" Kid asked. Crona had still been unconscious once class was over, so Kid had grudgingly gone on another mission. When he returned, however, he found Crona awake and waiting for him on the steps of Shibusen. The moment he set foot on the ground Crona had a hold on him and pulled him into the school. She pulled him down into the dungeon hall. "Crona!" The pinkette stopped and turned to the shinigami, a tarnished red book in hand.

"I found something about Eibon!" She gave him the tome. "It's one of Medusa's old books! She was using it to prop up a broken desk and forgot about it."

"The Fall of Salem?" Kid read. He gave Crona an inquisitive look.

"On page eighteen." Crona explained. Kid opened the book and searched for the passage she was referring to. Crona watched him with anticipation.

"The practice of magic was banned to avoid further attacks on human lives. As a result, a negative stigma was placed on witches as a whole. Those who were caught using witchcraft were threatened, harassed and sometimes banished. Witches began to blend in with humans to avoid persecution and swore to give up magic all together.

"The desire for magic was not heeded by simple laws. Witches would congregate once a week for an event known as witches mass. Here, those who practiced magic would go by pseudo names to protect their identity. With these pseudo names, witches could practice magic without getting caught. There were even those who would use their false identities to sell enchanted items. The best example of this was the martyr Iroha, more commonly known as the wizard… Eibon." Kid looked up at Crona.

"There's a bit on the magic tools, but it's mostly about the Salem Witch Trials." Crona supplied. She hoped this was enough to keep her from losing him.

"Crona, do you know what this means?" Kid said with realization. "The reason we can't find anything on Eibon is because Eibon didn't really exist!"

"Is that a good thing?" Crona asked tentatively.

"Good? This is great! We finally have a lead! Who knows how many books are on this Iroha person!" Kid paused. "Hmm… That name sounds familiar. Anyway, we should get started immediately after school tomorrow." He returned the book to Crona and began to walk away.

"Tomorrow?" Crona asked.

"You do need to rest, don't you?" Kid asked.

"You don't have to worry about me. I could still work." Crona insisted. Kid smiled at her and chuckled good-naturedly.

"Even still you need you rest." He said. "See you tomorrow Crona."

"Yeah, tomorrow." Even though he was walking away Crona couldn't help but smile."

-8-0-8-

Rushed footsteps echoed throughout the halls of Baba Yaga Castle. A masked figure burst through the double doors of a large, deserted chamber.

"Arachne-sama!" The figure called. High above the man a woman in black sat on the delicate threads of a spider's web. She opened one silver lined eye to observe the messenger. Taking a sip of wine, the woman opened her fan to hide her face.

"What is it?" She asked.

"There is a person here to see you. She claims to be your sister." Arachne froze. "Arachne-sama?"

"Let her in." Arachne said coolly. The servant bowed and opened the door to the chamber. A young girl was lead into the room, the cold floor nipped at her bare feet. "Hello Medusa." Arachne glowered. A sweet smile swept across the girl's face.

"It's so good to see you again Arachne, I can see the years have treated you well." Every word dripped with an unnatural sweetness.

"What do you want?" Arachne asked. Her hold on her fan tightened.

"Whatever do you mean? Can I not come by and visit my dear sister?" Medusa pouted.

"Last I checked I was a treacherous coward**.**" Arachne hissed.

"My you certainly hold a grudge." Medusa chuckled, her charade broken. "That was a little over 800 years ago, the world's moved on since then. Though I see you haven't."

"What do you want?" Arachne demanded.

"My, my, impatient as ever." Medusa scolded. "Haven't you guessed why I'm here? I know you've been keeping an eye on me, as well as others." Arachne calmed herself; she had finally gained the upper hand.

"Perhaps an arrangement could be made?" Arachne suggested. "A simple trade perhaps?"

"A trade?" Medusa sneered.

"Yes. I'll tell you the location of your daughter in exchange for my son."

"You know I can't do that!" Medusa growled.

"Then I can't help you." Arachne sighed.

"How can you say that, she's your niece!"

"He's your nephew." Arachne glowered. "Think of it as a thank you for stealing my son."

"You were being hunted down by Shingami-sama and Maba! If I hadn't come along Ragnarok would have died on the streets! He's better off with me then a traitor like you!"

"And Crona's better off without you. You honestly think you're better than me?" Arachne scoffed. "I created demon weapons so my son wouldn't be an outcast! But you? You tried to turn your daughter into a monster."

"I have my reasons." Medusa shouted. "I will find her again with or without your help." She turned and stormed out of the room.

"You're the one who hasn't moved on." Arachne whispered to the empty room.


	6. A Bargain

**AN: Thank you all for your continued support of ****Daughter Of Madness****, it really makes me glad that so many people are hooked on the story. I love to hear from my readers, it gives me the extra boost to keep writing. So now it's time for review responses!**

**Chabeli05: Many people were intrigued by Ragnarok's origin. ^^ I'm glad you like the way things have been linking together. I'm sure you will enjoy the next few chapters as things start to piece together. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**boob tube watcher3452: Thank you, I will. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**CrazyAnime3: I always update on Thursdays, weekly updates are something I hold dear. I'm glad that you are enjoying the way the plot is progressing. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Sakura Scout: Yes, more Ragnarok for all! I'm glad you are enjoying the plot, if you liked the last chapter then I am sure you will enjoy the next few as I weave all the little clues together. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**KawaiiMarshmallow: Thanks, I thought so too. After all, his soul had to come from somewhere. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Now, on to the story!**

Maka ran down the halls of Shibusen, desperate to find her pink haired friend. The blond was just about at her wit's end with the mysterious activities her friend had been partaking in. She could take Crona's lies about studying; she could even deal with her occasional disappearances at lunch, but skipping class! Maka pouted, Crona was definitely hiding something from her, and she was going to put an end to it. She caught sight of the pinkette running down the hall.

"Crona!" Maka called. Crona startled instantly from her mindset.

"Maka! What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Maka asked incredulously, "What are you doing here? Class has started and you're all the way over-"

"Sorry Maka, I'm kinda' in a hurry." Crona bowed and sped down the hall.

"Wait, Crona! Where are you going!" Maka shouted after the girl.

"I have a mission, see you later Maka!" Leaving Maka in disbelief, Crona ran down the hall to the Death Room to meet with Shinigami-sama.

-8-0-8-

"Hey, Hey!" Shinigami-sama greeted his son as the two waited for Crona. "All set for Britain?"

"Yes father." Kid bowed stiffly. His father's presence was less than desired.

"Sorry I'm late!" Crona announced as she entered the room. "I didn't know I needed a pass."

"Quite alright." Kid nodded.

"How ya' doin' Crona?" Shinigami-sama chuckled.

"Umm, I'm fine." Crona answered.

"Good, good. To be honest I was a little surprised when Kid asked if he could have some help on this mission. It's only one Kishen egg after all, nothing major." The pair froze. Did he know what they were doing?

"Well it's not Shingami-kun who needs help, it's me." Crona stuttered. Kid quickly nodded in agreement.

"Yes," Kid elaborated, "after how Crona's first mission ended, I figured Crona could use an easier mission; to get used to how DWMA usually is."

"Hmm…" The older shinigami thought. The two miester shifted uncomfortably under his masked stare. "O.K!" The man chirped. Both felt a wave of relief wash over them, the last thing they needed was a god breathing down their throats. Kid saw the pause in the conversation as a means of escape.

"If that's all, then we must get going." Kid stated. The two made their way out the door. "We'll be back by tomorrow morning at the latest." They hurried out of the room, conspicuous in their rushed exit.

"Goodbye!" Shimigami-sama chimed. The door slammed shut with a thunderous boom. "Spirit, I'm worried about him."

"He'll understand eventually," The Death Scythe chided. He could hardly see why Kid's actions bothered the death god; at least he still talked with his father. He sighed, one day he would make it up to Maka. Spirit rested a reassuring hand on the shingami's shoulder. "he's your son after all."

"Not just mine." Shingami-sama professed.

-8-0-8-

The real reason Crona and Kid ventured to Britain was to get a hold of a book on Iroha. So, using the mission as cover, they made their way into a darkly lit collection of books. Crona lit the torches that surrounded the dank granite room while Kid flipped through the massive directory. Their shadows danced on the floor in the flickering torch light, a musty smell filled the air. Kid sighed in disgust; the worn, wooden shelves were unlabeled and poorly organized. But it would have to do for now, they needed the book first. Crona scanned the bottom shelves for any useful material. To her chagrin all of the spines were blank. It was obvious this library was not designed for the public. When she glanced to the table, all she saw was the directory. Kid had moved to the shelves.

Said shingami pulled several books off the top shelf, he couldn't take it anymore! There was absolutely no order to the library at all! He began to sort the books by size on the top row. Once he got them in order they would be easier to navigate through. If he found the book while sorting, then it would make their job easier.

"Shini-kun, what's the title of the book we're looking for?"

"Significant Figures of the Wicken World: Volume 2." Kid answered absent-mindedly. He was close to finishing this shelf, only three more to go. Crona pulled a twine bound novel from the bottom shelf. She stood abruptly only to collide with Kid who was sorting a handful of books. The pair tumbled to the floor in a chaotic heap. Crona's back hit the stone floor and the books tumbled to the ground around her. When she went to sit up, something blocked her; a firm force had halted her progress. She opened her eyes to see what it was her body was pressed against.

"Shini-kun?" Crona exclaimed. A dark blush painted across her face. Kid locked eyes with Crona, his body hunched over hers. He quickly apologized and pulled himself off of her. "I…umm…found the book." Crona chuckled nervously.

"Right, we should probably head home now." They made their way to the door and spared on glance back into the room.

"The top shelf looks very nice." Crona stated.

"Thanks." Kid said, a long pause followed as the shinigami stood transfixed. "Aggh! But now it looks out of place with the other shelves and they're so disorganized!" he stormed back over to the shelves and resumed his sorting.

"I'll help." Crona resigned.

-8-0-8-

Inevitably Crona ran into Maka the next day. The blonde had managed to talk her into going to Deathbucks with her. Which was fine by Crona, she wasn't exactly eager to see Kid again after their mission, it would be… too much to deal with.

"So Crona, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Maka asked. The pinkette thought a moment, excuses bounced about as she tried to think of something that would halt Maka's expectant stare.

"Umm… Shinigami-kun doesn't think I'll be able to get a room change. It had something to do with legal contracts." Crona supplied. She hoped that would be enough to satisfy Maka's curiosity. "Besides all the rooms have the same basic set-up, so it wouldn't be that much of a change anyway."

"Well that's too bad." Maka replied calmly, too calmly. "Speaking of Kid," the pinkette tensed, "I heard you went on a mission with him. How'd it go?"

"Well…it- it went... well." Crona stuttered. She turned to her cup of coco for guidance, it didn't do much good.

"Oh, I see." Maka said with a knowing smile. The other girl sat up attentive.

"What, what do you see?" Crona asked. She didn't like the way Maka had said that.

"Nothing." Maka dismissed. "You know what, let's go shopping!" Crona sighed, at least she got Maka to stop asking questions.

-8-0-8-

Crona stood transfixed at the entrance to the dress shop Maka had chosen. The blonde turned to her friend from inside the shop, a tad perplexed.

"Is something wrong?" Maka asked.

"This shop is really pink…" Crona murmured. True to her comment, the outside walls were painted in an obnoxious rose.

"Well of course it is," Maka chuckled, "this place is the Pink House. Don't worry, not all of the dresses are pink." Crona hesitantly stepped into the hot pink boutique, the inside no better. Whimsical flowers were painted onto the walls, which was a fluorescent shade of the color outside. Every table was covered with bizarre knickknacks made of twisted iron and glass. Dresses were hung on various types of racks, from circular to wall mounted. "I hardly get to come here anymore because of Soul. He doesn't think it's cool for a guy to be seen in a shop like this." Maka glanced at Crona and moved to a different rack. "I'm guessing you're a medium."

"What? Me?" Crona exclaimed. Weren't they here so Maka could get a dress? After all, Crona already had a dress, it fit rather nicely in fact. Maka turned and rested a hand on Crona's shoulder.

"Crona, I'm sorry I didn't notice before.' Maka sighed. "I've been so busy lately- but don't worry, I'll help."

"Y-you will?" Crona asked in disbelief. "Aren't you mad?" Maka turned back to the rack of dresses and resumed her hunt.

"Why would I be mad?" She asked and held a purple dress to Crona's frame. "Too lacy." She tossed it to the side.

"Well with all that Kid and I have been doing-"

"It's to be expected." Maka concluded. "You've been making great progress so far though. I think you almost got him." She tossed a pink dress to the side. "What you need is a little nudge in the right direction."

"Like what?" Crona asked.

"This!" Maka held up a high collared, black evening gown. "Go ahead, try it on!" The shorter girl had already given Crona a push toward the changing room.

"Alright, but I don't see how this will help." Crona said. She took the flowing gown from her friend and into the changing room. The dress hugged her chest, but flowed loosely down to her ankles. Crona shyly came out of the changing room after her change. "My arms are cold." Crona stuttered. She pulled at the rhinestone necklace that held up the Victorian style neckline.

"You look wonderful, don't worry." Maka soothed. "If you wear this, I'm sure it will help."

"…how?" Crona asked. What did a dress have to do with Eibon? Maka turned Crona toward the mirror and stood beside her, her arm rested around Crona's bare shoulders.

"If you wear this, Kid will definitely notice you. Who knows, he might even return your feelings."

"M-my feelings!" What feelings? What was Maka talking about? Maka looked at Crona and sighed.

"I'm really sorry I didn't notice before. A good friend doesn't ignore things like that. Now that I know you have a crush on Kid, I won't bother you about your little 'study sessions' anymore." She smiled at her friend, who consequently was in complete shock. Maka thought she liked Kid. Ragnarok emerged from Crona's back.

"M-maka, Shini-" Crona was cut off by her weapon.

"Ahahahaha! Looks like you've been caught Crona!"

"Ragnarok, what are you doing?" Crona hissed, embarrassed.

"I'm covering for you, you dolt." Ragnarok whispered. "Or do you want to tell Maka the truth?" He leaned back and laughed. "He-he I wonder how Stripes will react to the news?"

"What, no, you can't!" Crona waved her arms in a panic, she'd never be able to look Kid in the face again if he heard such a rumor.

"I don't know. I can be pretty loose lipped when it comes to stuff like this." Ragnarok mused. "Although I wouldn't be talking if I was eating candy."

"Four pieces." Maka suggested.

"Only four, gee thanks." Ragnarok snorted.

"Fine, six pieces then." Maka bargained.

"I don't know, would six pieces last me? Who knows when Crona will tell him." Crona watched with silent fear as the two bargained over her future. "Then it's settled, I'll keep my mouth shut and you give me sixteen pieces of candy. The good kind, not half a packet of smarties."

"Deal." Maka agreed. "Come on Crona, let's pay for the dress."

"Will you have enough money for this thing and my candy?" Ragnarok questioned.

"Shut up Ragnarok!" the girls shouted.

-8-0-8-

Kid flipped through the brittle pages that they had gotten from the dank library yesterday. He sighed as he skimmed for Iroha's name. Today had been really awkward, every time he met Crona in the halls they hadn't been able to meet each other's eyes. She was probably mad at him for tripping over her when they were in the library. The library…

He shook his head; he didn't have time to think about stuff like that. With the party around the corner and the key to Iroha at hand; he didn't have time to think about how she had stayed with him the entire time. How she helped him sort the books instead of yelling at him about the time he had wasted. The look in her eyes when he was over her. How soft she- Flipping the page, he resumed his search. He needed to focus! At last Iroha's name came up in the old book.

"Here it is." He said to himself. "Iroha was a person with unique abilities. Being a witch with a grigori soul, the magical capabilities of such a wave length was above all others. A witch with a grigori soul is so rare, that they are placed in a category all of their own, the sekaigami.

"Iroha used this wavelength to the advantage of other witches. Using powerful magic, she and other rebels formed a fortress against Lord Death. Her path eventually lead to her own demise at the Grimore castle in Alaska and was executed by Lord Death himself. The sekaigami soul was said to evaporate under his touch. No other has been seen since, leaving Iroha was the only recorded sekaigami." Kid stared at the delicate book.

"…witch." He repeated. "Then that means… Eibon was a girl!"He turned to the seat next to him. "Hey Crona, do you-" He stopped. That's right, Crona wasn't working with him today. He sighed and slumped down in his desk at Gallows Manor. He stared at the book once more and closed his eyes in defeat. "I'll ask her tomorrow." He murmured.


	7. Waiting for the End

**AN: Here we are, the next installment. I thank you all that are sticking with this story. It means a lot to me that so many people still want to read my writing, especially since it looks like it may rival my others in length. Now on to the review responses!**

**Chabeli05: Ah friendly misunderstandings, how you entertain me so. ^^ I'm glad you like the story. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**nekokat-chan: Thank you, I will. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**B01: Your back! ^^ Thank you again for the tip, I now preread each chapter and use to double check my work. As a reward for your help I would be glad to tell you that Iroha's name is inspired by the song you mentioned (I love vocaloid as well) and I will cite it at the very end of the story. On a side not Iroha translates to 'Japanese syllabry' which also suits the character's personality. Thank you for reading and reviewing. **

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I'm glad Eibon's gender amuses you :) Her role will be further revealed as the story progresses. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**And now, for what you've all been waiting for.**

Crona studied her foggy reflection from inside her room. She timidly held the new dress Maka had bought for her up to her frame. The black satin had looked nice on her and the fabric was heavy enough that it would shape to her form. Could she really wear something this nice? A knock at the door startled her out of her reverie.

"Crona, you in there?" Kid asked outside the door. She looked down at the dress and panicked. What would he say if he saw her with something so expensive? Would he question her about it? Would he think she stole it!?

"Uhh…hold on!" She glanced around the room for a place to hide the dress.

"Crona, are you alright?" Kid asked. She went to the dresser, but the drawer was stuck.

"Just fine!" She quickly surveyed the room and hurriedly shoved the dress under the bed. "Hold on!" She hopped over a stack of books and threw open the door. "Hello." She panted.

"And hello to you." Kid said. He eyed the demon miester who panted from her run to door.

"So what's up?" She asked.

-8-0-8-

"…and that's all that the book said." Kid concluded. Crona's brow furrowed.

"Iroha was the Sekaigami?" Crona murmured. Kid bit his lip.

"Do you know anything about this?" Kid asked. This was the first time Kid had asked Crona directly about her heritage.

"Actually, I do." Crona said. "The book was right, sekaigami are rare. Most witches aren't born with the ability to transmute their bodies into animals; their magic is far too weak. In order to do that, a witch must eat the soul of her familiar. It's sort of a rite of passage now. That's why the Sekaigami was so revered; she was born with the power that can be gained from eating the soul of a familiar.

"One of the only stories my mother told me was of the beautiful palace that was built by the Sekaigami. The other witches gushed about her, how she came from poverty only to rise and become the first queen of the wicken world. They said she even managed to create a society of witches who used their magic for good."

"What happened to her?" Kid asked.

"Nobody knows. After Salem was raided she disappeared. My mother said that's when witches stated to eat the souls of their familiars. Transmutation is a form of sorcery, the only way to use it is to take an innocent life. It was the only magic strong enough to stand up to Shinigami-sama. The more a witch kills, the stronger her sorcery becomes… Medusa is the only witch I knew who refused to use sorcery."

"Didn't she have those snakes in her body?"

"Yes, but they didn't have souls, and she never killed someone directly; she always made me do it." She bit her lip. "That was the biggest difference between Arachne and Medusa. Arachne's soul was that of a true sorceress, but Medusa's… It's hard to explain. I felt that she was hiding something, which was why I was so afraid of her. I could never tell what she was really thinking." She sat there in silence and gently took the book from Kid. She idly flipped through it, so as to block out whatever memories threatened to surface. Kid sighed and rubbed his temples. This must be hard for her; after all, she had been through so much. And then he went and made her remember it.

A thin card fell out of the inside cover of the book. Crona gingerly picked it up and read it aloud.

"From the collection of Montgomery Horatio." She handed the card to Kid. "What does that mean?"

"That means that this book was purchased from somewhere specific." He flipped to the back. "It was bought in… Salem, Massachusetts! This man might have more books on Eibon!"

"Then we should probably take the mission in Fort Andrews this weekend." Crona stated.

"I can't, I've got a thing and-" Kid flushed. "I… umm…-I'm hosting a party this Saturday and I was wondering if you wanted to go. It would be an honor if you could come." Crona sat in shock.

"What?"

"I know this is short notice, but we've been busy… and… yeah-" He finished lamely

"No that's not what I meant! I- just- why me?"

"Well, you've helped me so much these past few weeks and I want to thank you properly."

"O.K." Crona nodded.

"Then I'll pick you up tomorrow." Kid smiled. Crona blushed, occasionally glancing in the direction of the dress, Maka must have known the whole time. But Crona didn't know what she was to do, it was almost like Kid wanted to be around her.

"Alright, 8:08 right?" She asked. He chuckled lightly.

"Of course." He stood and nodded to her. "Good night Crona." Crona nodded, Kid took this as his cue to leave.

"Goodnight." Crona whispered.

-8-0-8-

The ballroom of Gallows Manor was lined with sparkling gold lights; elegant candles were lit to illuminate the countless tables. At the center of the room the floor had been cleared for couples to dance upon. The colorful, pearlized dresses of the many guests clashed with the sleek black dress that Crona wore. It made her feel nervous; Maka gave her an encouraging pat on the back.

It was Maka would who had picked her up for the party. Kid was busy with the preparations down to the last minute. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard from Kid at all day. She scanned the room for the young shinigami only to see Liz weave around the many guests to get to them.

"Glad you guys could make it!" She greeted. "Kid was worried you guys wouldn't show." Maka looked around the crowded room confused.

"Why are there so many people here? I thought only a few people were invited." Maka asked. Liz shook her head.

"That's why we've been so busy today. Someone told the whole school that Kid was throwing a party today." The group turned to look at Black Star who had already eaten five plates of food. "Anyway, Kid's been scrambling to get everything in order."

"I'd say he's done a fine job." Maka nodded.

"Well help yourself to some food while we cue up a soundtrack." She turned to Soul. "You brought the records right?" The boy held up three jazz records.

"I don't know if they'll fit the mood of the party though." He commented.

"They'll be better than Kid's Lincoln Park record at least." She guided Soul towards the old record player while Maka and Crona made their way to the buffet table. Maka started to load her plate when she noticed Crona remained still.

"Do you want anything?" Maka asked.

"N-no, I'm not hungry." She shook her head. She didn't know how to deal with such fancy food. "I'll go get us a table." Maka nodded in agreement and Crona sat down at an empty table.

"Hey, what gives?" Ragnarok demanded. "That's good food you just passed up!"

"I don't know how to deal with it, it's too fancy." Crona frowned.

"Well the least you could do was nab some for me! I would have gladly dealt with it for you." Crona just couldn't understand Ragnarok. How could he just adapt to such a surrounding? Not just the food, but the ballroom, the whole manor; they didn't belong here.

"I still don't see Shini-kun." Crona sighed. Her irritated partner pulled at the ends of her mouth.

"Don't you start with that, we had a deal. Now lighten up! It's a party after all." Maka returned to the table with two plates full of food.

"I know you said you weren't hungry, but I got some for Ragnarok; if that's alright." Maka sat down with the plates.

"Alright? This is awesome!" Ragnarok grabbed the plate. "You're not so bad after all." He gobbled down the luxurious food. There was a pause from Crona's partner. "Sixteen pieces of candy, how thoughtful of you." He stuffed the truffles in the handbag Maka had lent to Crona. Soul joined them at the table along with Black Star and Tsubaki. They chatted a bit before Crona grew uncomfortable. She stood and smoothed the ruffles form her dress.

"I'm going to go get some fresh air." Crona mumbled.

"Oh, O.K." Maka said pleasantly.

"Guard that with your life." Ragnarok said in reference to the bag that held his candy. He slipped inside Crona's body as the pinkette walked off.

-8-0-8-

Crona sunk into the corner of the ballroom; all she wanted to do was say hi to Kid and his weapons. In the end she couldn't find them and ended up hopelessly lost among all the people. At least in the corner she knew where she was. As the people swirled around the room Crona became lost in thought. Just a month ago she had killed over a hundred people, to get stronger Medusa had said; some plan that had turned out to be. She had done horrible things because she was afraid. Then Maka had come and said she wanted to be friends. But then again, she needed Crona to know what the dangers of the black blood in Soul's body would do. Then there was Kid who needed help with his research on Eibon. She was their tool, so why was everyone being so nice? She picked at the hem of her dress; maybe it would be best if she just headed home.

Across the room, Kid noticed the dark wallflower in the corner. He excused himself from the small gaggle of guests. Weaving around the dancing couples, Kid made his way to where Crona sat in the room.

"I thought I'd find you here." He chuckled. "Everyone's been worried about you." She looked up at him in surprise.

"Shini-kun." She whispered. "Where have you been, I looked all over."

"I was looking for you." He held out his hand. She looked at him carefully. He wore a nice black suit, and an oddly warm smile. "Would you grace me with a dance?" He asked. Dance, her? Did she dare? She was about to ask why, then stopped. She didn't have to ask anyone what to think anymore.

"Sure." She took his hand and was lead to the center of the room. She might have done horrible things in the past, but she was making her own decisions now, starting with him. The music swelled as Crona and Kid made their way to the floor. They quickly fell in synch with the others.

"You look nice." Kid commented as the two swayed to the beat. Crona blushed at the comment, her eyes drifted to the floor.

"Thanks." She stuttered. There it was again, that strange warmth the came from his wavelength. This time, instead of running, she merely basked in it. This is where she wanted to be, endlessly by his side.

-8-0-8-

Outside of the glittering party, a small green frog hopped onto the window sill. It's frosty breaths fogged up the crystallized glass. Soft rain drizzled on the dark streets; its shadows emphasized the warmth that trickled out of the window. The golden lights reflected off the frog's slick skin.

"Medusa," it croaked, "I found her." In the iris of the amphibian a small snake coiled. It hissed and was illuminated with an unnatural purple glow. "Should I go get her?" The frog could hear a gentle hum as the snake witch watched from her crystal ball.

"Not yet, Eruka." Medusa said. The frog frowned, for the past few days she had been hopping around like mad and risking her neck to find Crona. Not to mention the fact that Medusa had nearly killed her each time she reported that Crona was nowhere to be found. The sudden change in attitude from her forced employer was extremely unsettling.

"But Medusa, the whole reason I came was to find Crona." Eruka insisted.

"And you have done so." The witch said coldly. Her small hand traced around the crystal ball she stared into. Her daughter's dance with the only son of Lord Death shown back at her, mocking her efforts. A sadistic smile bled across her features for a moment, then vanished as she straightened up. "It seems my daughter has been busy in my absence. I must admit, I am more than curious as to what she has been doing as of late." She stood from her spot on the stone floor. "Let's watch her, at least for a day. After all, we need to assess the damage done." The joyous pair chuckled at the end of their dance; their amusement irked the snake witch deeply. So deeply, it seemed, that it tore at an old wound, one of her pride. She glared at the image of the shinigami reflected in her crystal. "A mere boy will not disrupt my plans." She growled.


	8. The Curse Lives On

**AN: I almost lost the first page of this chapter, =.= that would have been a disaster. And then I was reading the last chapter randomly before bed and noticed that I didn't save my editing before I posted. *sigh* I can be such a goldfish brain sometimes I swear. It's weird looking this far back now that I've written two chapters ahead. Once I get all of this typed out we'll be golden. Anyway, hope you like the next installment**

***Review Response***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Yes, a cliff hanger, Muahahahaha! I'm really bad about that '-' And yes there a plot to this story, I just needed to get some housekeeping out of the way before I launched my audience into the thick of my master plan. Thank you for reading and reviewing. **

**nekokat-chan: A lot of people like the nick-name, I'm glad. ^ ^ Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Nothing good lasts forever, but I'm glad you like it. : ) Hope you like the next chapter just as much. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Crazyanime3: I'm glad I could impress. It's nice to write my own events, things will be get even better as all the pieces get set out on the table. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Deidara4ever: I'm happy you are enjoying the story so far. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

***Now on to the story***

Kid and Crona sat at an iron café table outside of Deathbucks. Crona sipped carefully at her cup of hot chocolate, she eyed the Shinigami carefully. He hadn't been able to convince his father to let her come along with Kid's mission in Massachusetts, despite Kid's protest. She wished she could have gone, but the two of them began to seriously wonder how much Shinigami-sama knew about what they were doing. Her partner in crime slumped further in his chair, his gaze locked onto the coffee in a lifeless staring contest.

"How did it go in Massachusetts?" She asked. The boy jolted at her voice. He sighed and shook his head.

-o-Flash-o-Back-o-

Kid walked among the shelves of the ancient book store. In his hand a list of fifteen books that held mention of Iroha. He scanned the shelves for one of the titles; his gaze was drawn to an empty slot on the shelf. He sighed; the volume must have been purchased by another patron. Shaking his head, Kid moved on to the next title. Yet the same oddness occurred with the next book and the next. He pulled at the hood that covered his stripes. This was bizarre, all of the books were collector's items, immensely rare at that. Someone couldn't just buy them all by coincidence.

"What are you doing!" Demanded a haggard old man. Kid turned around abruptly to face the hunched senior.

"I'm looking for a book on the Sekaigami Iroha." Kid said. The man regarded the disguised shinigami.

"How would you know about her? You're far too young." The man groused.

"That's just it; I don't know anything about her. I would like to remedy that." The old man eyed him carefully.

"Well you won't find any of them out here. Come this way." The man said. He hobbled past the shelves to the back of his shop and slid open a glass case. Inside was a charred grimoire, hand written it seemed. "Here it is." Kid reached for the book. "Ah! Be careful!" He shook his head. "Young people, honestly. No respect for knowledge what so ever." He muttered. Kid carefully took the book and began to flip through to the proper passage.

"So how much will it cost?" Kid asked, still searching through the book.

"Nothing," the man snapped, "it isn't for sale. I make it a point to never sell books to young people." Kid paused in his search. The pages had been torn out of the book, any page that had her name scrawled on it was gone.

"The pages are missing!" Kid exclaimed.

"See what I mean!" The man gingerly took the book from Kid and placed it back in the case. "The last young man I sold books to did this." He closed the case. "I caught him in the back alley burning all the records I had just sold him."

"What did he look like?" Kid demanded.

"No need to shout; that memory will haunt me forever. He wore a strange black cloak and his hair had odd white lines in it. When I asked him what he thought he was doing, he bolted. About…17… Then again that was a few hundred years ago." The old man shook his head.

"Wait, how old are you?"

"That's none of your business you filthy little boy." He shook a bony fist. "Now get out of my shop!" Kid gave a quick bow. "Stupid kids, running around my shop, disrespecting their elders. In 900 years you'd think they'd gain a little smarts." He mumbled.

"Thank you for your help." Now he was sure of it. Something happened long ago, something his father wanted to hide.

-o-Flash-o-Back-o-End-o-

"That was the only lead we had left." Kid sighed. "I think… maybe we should give up."

"We can't!" Crona exclaimed. "You just found out that Shinigami-sama is hiding something. You almost found out what is was too."

"But he got there first, hundreds of years before us." Kid emphasized.

"Well maybe if we back track-"

"It won't do us any good, we've already exhausted out previous options." Kid sighed. Crona fingered her cup nervously. If they stopped the investigation, then there would be no reason for him to talk to her. There would be no more late night study sessions or secret missions. She would just be another friend, he wouldn't need her anymore.

"Could you get any leads from the rest of the book?"

"Only the location of the brew."

"Then we can check there, after all Eibon died protecting it." Kid shook his head at the idea.

"There was an accident, the building combusted and left a residual field behind. It surrounds the ruins and can turn a man into nothing after ten minutes." Kid confessed. Chewing at her lip, Crona looked up at the shinigami.

"Isn't that where your next mission is?" She asked. Kid silently nodded. "Well, maybe you'll find something while you're there." Crona said hopefully. "I'll continue searching here at the school. Between the two of us we should find something." Kid gave her a weak smile and nodded.

"Maybe you're right." Kid said. "I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow." Crona nodded and bid him good bye. Little did the pair know, a small green frog overheard their conversation.

-8-0-8-

Crona walked through the back streets that lead to Shibusen. An airy gasp tore the pinkette from her thoughts.

"Crona, is that you?" a childish voice asked. Crona's whole body froze.

"Medusa?" Crona stuttered. Fear coiled around her as she turned to face the childish witch.

"You even recognize me!" Medusa cheered. A false smile wormed its way onto her features. "I'm so glad I found you, and to think I was worried." The girl crossed her legs on the crate she sat on. "You've done better than I could have hope."

"W-what do you mean?" Crona asked cautiously.

"Why, you've gained the trust of Shibusen. Not only that, but you're making valuable allies who are helping you learn about Lord Death."

"You got the wrong idea." Crona said, backing away slowly. "I'm helping Shini-kun, not the other way around. Besides, we've hit a dead end."

"Oh, that's too bad." Medusa pouted. Crona turned to leave. "If only there was a way I could help… wait, I can." Her daughter froze. "I was there when Grimoire Manor was destroyed; I even know what happened to Iroha-san." A snake flicked out from the witches mouth. "But, you don't trust me, do you?" The witch hoped down from her crate, Crona merely stood there in silent fear. "Well, Eruka's always around, should you change your mind."

-8-0-8-

That night Kid had to practice his resonance with the rest of his group for the upcoming siege. This left Crona alone with her thoughts. Deep within her soul a small war was waged.

Water lapped at the Crona's feet, her younger form studied the bizarre reflection that stared back at her. Where once, her shadow would lay, a bright reflection shown back at her. Hair, vibrant in color, yet unhealthy kept; reflected back at the witch's daughter. It mimicked her in every way but one, the eyes were a deep purple in contrast to her own soft blue.

"Hello." The reflection greeted. Its voice the same as her own. "We haven't met in a while."

"You look different." Crona mumbled. "You changed."

"No, you changed. I am you after all. Well I guess technically you are me, or you need me. I'm not entirely sure myself anymore." The image confessed, "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Can I say pass?" Crona asked.

"I suppose." The reflection sighed. "So, what's your name?"

"…Crona." She answered. The reflection beamed.

"Good we're finally making progress. Medusa's back, how do you feel about it?"

"Pass."

"We're already back to that?" The reflection seemed to grow darker, more vibrant. At the same time, sorrow was evident on its face. "Your mother didn't seem terribly interested in you, did that bother you?"

"Pass."

"Surely you must think something of it?"

"Pass."

"A change of subject then." The image digressed. "You went to a wonderful party least night, did you like it?"

"Pass."

"Not talking about that either." She sighed. "Well, if you don't want to talk to me, what do you want to do?"

"I want to help Shini-kun." Crona said. The reflection frowned.

"Why?" It asked, there was something in her voice. Desperation? Fear? Maybe a little of both.

"He… he needs me." Crona said. The reflection's face contorted, this wasn't good. Usually it wasn't this personable.

"Is that all," The water asked, "nothing more? You've already helped him a bunch. He said that he wants to give up, why don't you?"

"I don't want to lose him." Crona said.

"You won't lose him; you'll still see him at school. Why would that bother you?" It demanded, it looked… frustrated at her. But why, she answered the questions, that should have been enough!

"It isn't the same. He won't want to talk to me, just me." Crona murmured.

"Other people do the same thing and that doesn't bother you. What's so special about him?"

"He…he just is. I've never met anyone who thinks like him. He's brave and smart, and his soul-" Crona blushed. "When I'm around him I don't feel alone. I don't want to lose that warmth I feel when he's around."

"So what are you going to do?" The girl asked. "Medusa said she knew something about Iroha, are you going to ask her?"

"I don't want to talk Medusa." Crona whispered. "She scares me."

"Well you don't have to," the reflection stated, "it's your choice." Her choice, Crona thought. '_I don't care what choice you make, just don't half ass it._That's right; she promised Ragnarok that she would stick by her decision, whatever the consequences. If Medusa had information that would help Kid, well then she would have to get it.

"I'm going to ask her." Crona decided. She stood in the sand and dusted of her dress.

"I hope he's worth it." The reflection mused. The tide pulled in, taking with it the image that had spoken to her.

-8-0-8-

"Eruka," Crona whispered, "Eruka." She peered out of the barred window. A small frog wriggled up onto the window sill and croaked softly.

"Hey Crona, have you made your decision?" The pinkette nodded in response.

"I'm going to talk to Medusa." Crona affirmed.

"Great," Eruka cheered, "now let's get you out of there." The amphibian pushed on one of the bars to her window. It popped out of the stone wall with ease and soon the others joined it on the floor. Crona hoisted herself up onto the foot thick window sill and paused. "Crona, what's wrong?" Crona lifted her hand to reveal worn groves on the sill, groves that had been there long before Eruka had pushed on the bars.

"Nothing. Let's go." Crona fell clumsily to the ground only two feet below her window. She dusted herself off and followed Eruka to the back ally where she had met her mother earlier that day.

"I see you've chosen to learn the truth about what happened to Iroha-san."Medusa said. Crona took a deep breath.

"Yes, please tell me."

"Alright then," Medusa sat herself down on a crate. "I grew up with Iroha-san. When our home had been attacked, she took my sisters and I into her manor in Salem. We weren't the only ones either; many young witches practiced magic there, mostly spells to protect each other's wave length. Then she made the mistake of dealing with Lord Death. He found out that we were all witches and destroyed the whole town. Many fled instead of trying to fight him off, my sister was one of them. Afterwards Iroha-san had vanished, her wavelength no longer could be found."

"Did she die?" Crona asked.

"No, I found her again two years later; through I wish now I hadn't." Medusa fought the sorrow that shown on her face. "Lord Death didn't physically kill her that day in Salem, but he might as well have." Anger built up in the tiny witch. "His betrayal drove her mad. She gave up on order, just held away in her tower and asked us to gather things; those of us who were left."

"To make the brew?" Crona asked.

"Oh that was the first thing we had to fetch. No, it was to make something else, something more powerful than the brew. I guess she thought it would bring him back. I was too concerned with my sister at the time, as soon as she reappeared people began to disappear from Grimoire. I found out she was creating demon weapons like Ragnarok with the souls of human infants and witches. When I went after her Lord Death had already arrived. She fled once more, leaving me a few miles off from the temple.

"I can still remember the power of the blast Lord Death created. He killed her. He knew she had begun to practice sorcery and eliminate her." Medusa hopped off her box. "Will that suffice?"

"Thank you Medusa-san." She stood to leave but was stopped by Medusa's small hand.

"Oh, but Crona." The witch grinned sadistically. "Nothing is for free." She held up a blue pen and placed it in Crona's hand. "I need you to do me a little favor."


	9. Welcome to the Crossroads

**AN: Sorry about the wait, my computer completely broke down. I tried to reboot it, but I lost all of my memory. So here you go. I should be able to get the next chapter up by next Thursday like I promised. It's just frustrating to have to retype eight pages. Now, on to the review response.**

**Chabeli05: Well Medusa couldn't resist a challenge. Sorry about the delay. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Requiemist of the Dead: Ohoho! A fan of madness are we? Well, I'm glad you're enjoying their naïveté. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I know I'm evil for leaving a cliffhanger this long. Well hopefully you're satisfied with this chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**B01: I'm glad you think so, I really do think that Soul Eater could benefit from a little more character development in all characters, and romance, oh well. After the recent chapter of the manga, I have my fingers crossed. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Deidara4ever: I'm glad you like it. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**B01's reply reminded me that this story has spoilers for the manga from about book eight on, just a warning. I only have two OCs in the whole story, one of which is technically Eibon, just so you know that most characters are canon. Now on to the story.**

Kid thought about what happened earlier that morning, the cold wind lost to his thoughts. _'Shini-kun, I found more information about Grimoire!' _She had cheered. _'The Sekaigami had been using the brew and the book of Eibon to build something through sorcery. Shinigami-sama through it was dangerous and destroyed the temple.' _He had wanted to know where the information had come from, but she wouldn't tell him. _'I'll tell you when you get back.'_ She had whispered. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her, but he had to go.

"Kid, we've got company!" Black Star shouted from his perch. Arachnae's soldiers marched toward them from the East. The bitter wind nipped at their faces as they scrambled for a plan. "We have to fight!" Black Star insisted.

"But what about Marie and Stein? They've already been in the field for seventeen minutes, they're almost out of time!" This was what his father had tangled them into, a battle for the brew left behind so many years ago.

"Then ya' go after 'em." Kilik suggested.

"Don't worry about us," Ox added, "We'll hold the soldiers off." Kid looked to the others.

"I agree. We should see if they need help." He said.

"So it's settled," Maka concluded, "Kid, Black Star, and I will go check on Marie and Stein. Ox; you, Kilik, and Kim hold off Arachnae's troops. If we're not back in fifteen minutes, shoot the signal."

"But that won't happen." Black Star boasted.

"I sure hope not." Maka agreed.

-8-0-8-

The trio emerged from the magnetic field to the site of the ruins, but the ruins weren't there. In their stead an intricate temple gleamed in seemingly warm sun light. Crystals had been decoratively set into the stone in bizarre patterns.

"What's going on here?" Maka mumbled in wonder.

"I found them!" Black Star called from a few yards ahead. Running to catch up, Kid and Maka saw the Dr. Stein had collapsed in a fit of laughter. Marie stroked the doctor's hair with concern as the man's mind slipped.

"Oh look at it dance!" Stein chuckled; his eyes seemed to stare past Marie as he drew shapes on her jacket. "I think it likes me." Maka ran up to the teachers.

"Marie-sensei, what's going on?" She asked.

"What are you doing here?" Marie demanded. "You should be outside where it's safe!"

"We came to help you, and you obviously need it." Black Star supplied.

"What's wrong with Stein?" Kid asked. The woman slumped in defeat.

"I don't know," she confessed, "as soon as we entered the field he collapsed."

"You don't have much time," Maka said, "you get Stein out of here." Marie was about to object, but she her hand flicker and nodded.

"If you die here, so help me-" Marie shouted has the group ran off. "I'll kill you!"

"How much time do we have?" Maka asked. Kid reached into his fluffy pocket.

"About fourteen minutes, we should have enough time to grab the brew and get out of here." Kid confirmed. They were about to head toward the temple when a dark figure caught their eyes.

"Shi-shinigami-sama?" Maka exclaimed.

"No… an image." Kid realized. A flickering hologram of the grim reaper in his younger years soared through the sky on spectral flames with an ordinary scythe in hand. A cracked skull served as his mask, his cloak was tattered and ragged. "My father from his 'grim' days. If he's here, then this must be a projection from before the accident." They continued to walk to the temple, figures of witches past them. They muttered words of confusion and cowardice. Maka glanced to the left and stopped.

"Yo Maka, what's the hold up?" Black Star called.

"I-it's her." Maka said. She raised a hand and pointed to an image of the witch Arachne. Two servants stood in front of a black BMW, on held the door for her, the other a small bundle.

"It looks like I lured Shinigami-kun here just in time." She chuckled. "With luck it will destroy him as well as the brew." She took hold of the bundle, a small hand reached out to grab her earring. "Either way the aftermath of this will keep him busy for quite a while." She slid into the car, and began to drive off. A young girl in a thread bear dress chased after the car. Though that was the last they saw of the scene. For before them a small old man stood with a metal brief case.

"Is he an image too?" Maka asked. He turned to them, obviously unimpressed.

"No, he's real." Kid said.

"And he has the brew!" Black Star declared. The man shook his head sagely.

"Shinigami's sent a couple of children to do his dirty work?" He tusked. "How despicable."

"I wouldn't be so quick to diss if I were you," Black Star smirked, "you're time's up." The man glanced to his being and saw is body flickered.

"I see, so this old body can only last twenty minutes in the field. Perhaps I should go 400- no 100 years should be enough." With this the man's arms bulged and expanded. His swollen upper body hoisted his disproportionate legs. "Here is my form from 100 years ago, when my body was at its toughest." The opposing sides braced for combat when a cloaked figure crossed their path.

There was a gentle tinkle of bells as the figure paused. White and burgundy robes covered every inch of flesh, gold claws emerged from the lengthy sleeves, and an emotionless mask hid the figure's face. Kid's eyes widened at the sight, so oddly familiar. The mage looked to the temple his father had entered.

"So that's Eibon." The man said half with wonder and half with suspicion.

"Eibon!" Kid gasped.

"Do you know this person?" Maka asked, making Kid flinch.

"What, no!" He fibbed.

"We have less than ten minutes now." Black Star reminded. "Let's get the brew now." Maka rushed after him while Kid stood at a cross road. His gaze darted from the disproportionate man to Eibon and back. The disguised witch darted toward the temple while his friends fought. He sighed; Eibon would have to wait, right now they need to get their hands on the brew.

-8-0-8-

Shibusen had taken yet another blow to their moral. Arachnophobia had the brew and now rumor of an internal spy was floating about. Of all people, Kid wondered how Crona would take the news. He came to Crona's door and knocked gently.

"Hey Crona, I'm back." There was no answer from the other side of the door. "Crona?" He opened the thick metal door to find the room was empty. Her things, what little she had, were gone. Kid felt his heart drop into his stomach. "…no." He murmured. The young shinigami tore through the halls. "CRONA! CRONA WHERE ARE YOU!" The boy ran right into one of his instructors.

"Wow, wow! Kid slow down, what's the rush?" Sid asked.

"Crona, I can't find her. Do you know where she is?" Kid panted.

"Crona's busy right now." Sid said.

"With what?" Kid asked. He took a step back, suspicious of the answer.

"I was never a loose lipped man when I was alive." Sid stated, the shinigami slumped.

"Then my father, where's he? I can have him find her in his mirror." Kid asked. Sid shook his head solemnly.

"He's in the middle of a trial right now."

"A trial?" Kid asked. Realization hit him like a cold bucket of water. He ran to his father's room and was startled when the doors flew open. Crona walked past him, slow and weighted. "Crona what happened?" The girl just shook her head silently and kept walking.

"I'm sorry." Was all she could choke out, Kid turned to his father's room in a fit of rage as Crona left his father's room in tears.

"Father!" Kid shouted as he barged into the Death Room.

"Kid, wh-" Spirit began.

"Why was Crona leaving your room in tears? Where are her things?" He glared at his father. "What did you do?" The elder shinigami sighed.

"Crona has been expelled from Shibusen for suspicious activity."

"On what grounds?"Kid growled. "His father stepped aside to reveal the stack of books he had been stashing in her room.

"Crona had many books that were to be only released to four star miesters." Kid's eyes widened at the sight. "You wouldn't happen to know about this, would you?" Kid bit his lip. "After all, you seem to be out of sorts over her banishment."

"Any of her friends would do the same." Kid said. He tried to form an objection, tried to tell his father that the books were his. "Those don't belong to her." Was the most he could manage before his father continued.

"I know; but she was helping, whoever it was, to gain access to forbidden knowledge. Either way she is just to blame, but I went easy on her. You know the punishment for internal affairs." Kid's hands tightened into a fist, he knew all too well. "With all this spy nonsense, it would be best to show some results. We don't know what all she's done."

"Nor do you know what it is she hasn't!" Kid shouted. It wasn't fair; he couldn't do anything against his father. His father was notorious for this, making decisions out of thin air. Then he wouldn't explain himself and would expect Kid to just accept it.

"It does no good getting angry at me." His father soothed.

"But you are using a situation of circumstance to… to use her as your 'scape-goat!" Kid accused. "Our failure was just that, ours. She has nothing to do-"

"She confessed Kid." Spirit interjected. Kid stopped his rant.

"W-what?" His voice felt weak.

"It's true," Lord Death agreed. "When I asked her about the books, she confessed to being involved in internal affairs." Kid stood there in shock. The damage had been done. Crona was banished because of his own suspicions about his father. He bowed and left the room in numb silence.

Lord Death stood in his room and sighed; Spirit fidgeted in place a bit, and looked from between his partner and the door. The shinigami just simply nodded.

"Kid, wait!" The Death Scythe called as he ran out of the room. Shinigami-sama turned to his mirror and watched in the reflective glass as Kid sat on the steps of the school listlessly. Spirit ran up to his son and stopped short of the defeated boy. The man sighed and sat down next to the young shinigami. He rested a hand on the boy's shoulder and pulled him close in a half hug.

"I don't get it Spirit-sama." Kid stuttered, "Why would she confess." Spirit rubbed the young boys shoulder gently and did his best to comfort the boy. His father stared at the reflection in his mirror and hung his head.

-8-0-8-

"I don't know if I should be pissed or proud." Ragnarok grumped from a top his mister.

"I would rather Shinigmai-sama banish me then punish Shini-kun." Crona sniffled. "I'm sure he will understand."

"Then why are you crying?" Ragnarok asked.

"You're pinching me." Crona mumbled. Ragnarok's frown deepened. For once he wasn't doing anything to the pinkette, which only meant she was crying about Kid.

"Well then tell me what the plan is and I'll stop." She said nothing to this, which only concerned her weapon more.

"We're going back to Medusa's, aren't we?" The weapon sighed.

"Well, what else can I do?" Crona asked. "After I put Medusa's snake in Marie-sensei's drink..." She tapered off. "I don't want to go back, but she's the only family I have." She continued to walk down the empty streets.

-8-0-8-

"You've been banished." Her reflection stated.

"I know." Crona said. The ocean was still today, oddly so. She curled up on a large stone that was buried in the sand. From there she stared down at the crystalline reflection.

"Was it worth it?" It asked.

"Of course." Crona answered. She hid her face; she would probably never see him again, but she gave him what he needed to continue his search without her. She hoped by answering her other half that it would finally leave her alone. Of course her plans hadn't been working as of late.

"Even though it was for a shinigami?" It asked. Crona snapped her head up in anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

"Shinigami are dangerous, they steal the souls of witches like yourself. They are horribly deceitful, evil murders; who-"

"How dare you say such things! Shini-kun is nothing like that. He's been nothing but a perfect gentleman to us."

"What makes you so sure?" The reflection asked. "He probably deceived you to receive the information he needed. Now that he has what he wants, he won't give you a second thought."

"What makes you so sure!" Crona demanded. She stood from her makeshift seat and stormed over to the water's edge. Her outburst caught the image off guard. "Why do you care?"

"Well I-"

"It was my decision, so you should agree with me! You're me, aren't you?" The reflection's resolve broke.

"Pass."

"It's not so easy now that I'm pestering you with questions, isn't it?"

"Pass." The reflection looked weaker now, less vibrant.

"Then why did you keep asking me questions?" Crona asked; tears began to fall from her cheeks.

"I just… wanted to help."

"Well I don't need it anymore!" Crona spat. "I don't need people to tell me what to do, not Medusa and certainly not you!" She expected the voice to answer back, but froze when she saw a simple reflection. Her own pale blue eyes stared back at her, the limbs mimicked her own. She wiped the tears from her face and scanned around her soul, but heard nothing. The voice in her head was gone.


	10. Bait and Switch

**AN: Yay! I'm finally back on track now! Man this chapter's long; hope you like it.**

***review response***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I know right, and for once a chapter with no cliffhangers 0.0 I better fix that. : ) Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Sorry, it's too late. She be banished. Well, glad you like it. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**B01: I did have to rush the editing process to upload, I hate being late. =.= My plot involves the short story in the beginning. I don't know if you noticed this, I never did fully describe the character, but the reflection talking to Crona was supposed to be a part of Pandora. Fear not, things will piece together! I just need to get there, build the background and all that. Once we get past Arachne, things will begin to make more sense.**

Maka sat on the stone steps of Shibusen in a daze. Crona had been a spy, she had driven Stein into madness and was banished for doing so. It was Medusa's fault, it had to be. But still, that didn't make it stop hurting.

"Hey!" A voice shook her out of her stupor.

"Black Star, what are you doing here?" Maka asked.

"Well, you seemed so distraught without me I figured I'd make an appearance." The boy chuckled. "So here is your god!" He posed dramatically.

"That's not why I was upset." Maka huffed. The ninja gasped.

"It's not?" He sat down. "What on Earth could be more important than me?"

"Crona's gone." Maka sniffled. "She betrayed us and ran off."

"Oh, is that all?" Black Star stated blandly. "How boring."

"How could you say something like that!" Maka accused. "She's our friend and her banishment means nothing to you? I can't believe you could be so selfish!" She stood from the steps to lecture him. "Argh, sometimes you just make me so mad!"

"But not sad." He said. He looked up at her expectantly.

"What?"

"You're mad at me, so you aren't sad anymore." He said.

"Yeah...I guess." She said, still confused.

"Well then, I have to go." He stood and dusted off his pants. "Wouldn't want to get a Maka chop to my glorious head and all." He turned and casually walked away. "See ya later Maka." He must have been trying to cheer her up, a slight smile crossed her countenance.

"It worked." She said to no one in particular.

-8-0-8-

The group advanced on the decrepit factory, steam billowed about them as they looked for an entrance. Maka tried to fan the steam away to get a better look at the factory.

"I found a way in." Soul said. He pointed to a sizable vent in the wall, which currently sheltered Blair from the damp air.

"It leads all the way inside." Blair meowed. There was a snort of disbelief.

"That?" Kid asked incredulously. "That's not an entrance, that's a vent. Surely there's a proper entrance to this place other than an air duct."

"...but this is right here." Maka said. "What's wrong with this?"

"It's a vent!" Kid reiterated. "I'm sure I'll be able to find a door or something. You guys go on ahead."

"Are you sure we should separate?" Liz asked

"They've got me." Blair informed. "They'll be fine." She stretched out and began to walk through the passage. Maka quickly followed and Soul thereafter. He shook his head.

"Man, he can be such a pain sometimes." He said. Maka glanced over her shoulder.

"You were the one who suggested he come along!" She said.

"Well, I thought it would do him some good." Soul defended. "Ever since the mission in Alaska he's been off. You know what I mean?" Maka shook her head as they continued down the metal tunnel.

"No, not really." Maka confessed. She had been too worried about Crona to notice.

"Eh, maybe it's just my imagination."

-8-0-8-

"Kid, we've already circled the building twice. There is no entrance." Liz groused. Her partner continued to circle the building.

Trapped no way out. It was always like this wasn't it, he thought. An endless cycle of failures. Eibon, the brew, Crona; each time he had messed up somewhere at sometime. But where, what had he done wrong? His mind began to fall prey to a downward spiral. What else had he done wrong?

"Did I fold the end of the toilet paper into a triangle? Were all the pictures in the house straight? Did I close all the doors?" He mumbled.

"Oh no, not now!" Liz groaned. He didn't know! He probably did it, right? But when he couldn't even find a door to a factory-

"No, they probably aren't closed... They're probably crooked... I probably forgot to fold it..." He crumpled to the floor. What was it that he missed, was there something she said to tip him off? His mind raced over every encounter he had, had with Crona. This was all his fault, maybe if he talked with his father again, explained what happened. But the penalty for treason was immediate execution. Perhaps he could go after Crona- but where would he start? Did she leave a clue, and if so could he even find it? "I'm losing my self confidence!" He cried.

"Look, Kid, it's fine."Liz tried."You can check later, but if you say probably one more time-"

"But if there was a mistake, I should probably go back and confirm it."

"KID! Maka and Soul are in there working their butts off and you're out here lying on the ground!" Liz scolded.

The steam that had billowed about the guns slowly dissipated. Liz's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the living, breathing factory. She stood there, flabbergasted while her sister cheered.

"That's so fricken cool!" Patty cheered. "It's a mon-" Liz's hand slapped over her sister's mouth.

"Ahaha!" She chuckled nervously. "You know what? Kid is right. We should go back and check the house. Besides, I think I left my cell phone on the counter." She shoved Kid further down the street. "Come on, come on; let's go!"

"O.K. I'm going!" Kid said. He sighed in defeat, this never happened when he went on missions with Crona.

-8-0-8-

"What the hell is that?" Soul asked. A twisted creature lay before them in a broken mess. A limb twitched and reached for footing on the brittle ground. It hoisted its body up from the grimy floor and snapped its neck to face them. "No really, what the hell is that!" Soul exclaimed. The scythe miester gripped her weapon.

"That thing has the same wavelength as Asura." Maka stuttered. The contraption's face broke out into a lopsided smile.

"Such a smart girl," it wheezed, "we are from the same origin. Asura may cause madness, but I enhance it." It twisted its body up to stand. "Madness is not the only thing I can enhance, I can make you more powerful. All you have to do is follow me and play a little game."

"Ha! Like Maka would do that- Maka?" Soul asked. The scythe miester began to drift toward the clown like being. "Maka, what are you doing!"

"I-I can't help it." Maka squeaked. The demented creature chuckled.

"A simple weapon would not understand." It hissed. She felt it, the cold hold it had on her soul. It wheezed, metallic breath hit her face in a frigid blast. "Now let's begin out little game."

-8-0-8-

Maka felt weightless, a drift in a sea of black. Before her, a young harlequin sat with a clay mask to hide its features.

"Let's play a game!" It said brightly, with her voice. "A game of opposites. If you win, I'll let you go; but if you don't, your soul belongs to me. Now tell me, what's the difference between a crusader and a murder?" Maka frowned.

"Umm...their purpose?"

"Nope!" The harlequin giggled. "Let's try again, what's the difference between a genius and a madman?"

"Their wavelength." Maka said with confidence.

"Wrong again!" The jester chuckled. "I win, I win!" It beeped her nose.

"That's not fair!" Maka shouted. "My answer was correct!"

"Ah dut tut!" The clown tsked. "Forget what you 'know'. If your brain is full of knowledge, how do you expect to learn anything?" It flipped upside-down and tugged at its feet. "I'll give you one more chance, now think. Think really hard. If you lose, then you'll have to come with me and be my partner instead." Maka nodded, she couldn't lose this time. The clown righted itself and lounged in mid air. "What's the difference between a hero and a villain."

Maka frowned, all these questions had something in common. The crusaders fought for their god, but to the people they killed, they were murderers. And geniuses were often consider madmen before they died. So then the difference between a hero and a villain was-

"Nothing." Maka said. "They are the same." The jester clapped.

"Great job, you're a fast learner!" It cheered. "So what did you learn?" It crossed its' legs, a plaster smile on its' mask.

"People can sometimes be affected by the roles that others force upon them, just as much as their own souls." Maka concluded.

"Not sometimes, but always. Take me for example." The clown said, a definite femininity clung to it now. Soft, blond hair poked from underneath her curled hat. "No madder who you ask I am a failure, but the reason I failed changes from person to person. To your precious Shinigami I am dangerous, an evil power. To Eibon I was a prototype for the brew that accidentally became sentient. To Claudia, I was just one step away from a homunculus, an artificial human being."

"Claudia, who's Claudia?" Maka asked. Her body felt languid and weak, as if she had been treading water. Her eyes drooped as she hung in the vast darkness.

"Claudia was my creator, a powerful sorceress; and, according to Eibon, betrayed the witches for evil purposes." The clown circled Maka. "Sad really, that they called her desire for a child evil. So she turned to sorcery to make a child by hand. She used me once Eibon had thrown me away. Then, when she determined my 'flaw', she abandoned me here, with no one to care for me. So tell me, what is the difference between you and I?" The clown asked.

"Nothing." Maka whispered. The clown's mask broke, leaving behind Maka's face in a twisted demonic grin. "We are the same." The clown smiled, warmly this time, and held out her hand.

"Come, join me." It cooed. There was a flash and Maka was in a red room, she turned to see a sleek black piano and Soul.

"I finally got through." Soul chuckled, but a frown was on his face. He stepped forward and rested a hand on her cheek. "That's a new look for you." He said sadly, Maka shivered under his touch and pulled away. Bits of the clown's mask powered on the floor causing the boy to shake his head. "Come on, I think it's time you learned to play piano."

"Piano, me?" Maka asked.

"Yeah, nothing fancy necessarily," He said, "just a note or two. I don't mind what your first note sounds like, as long as you play it." He rested a hand on her shoulder and she pulled away. "Maka?"

"I'm sorry, it just felt weird." She blushed. "I'll play." She sat down, but refused to touch Soul again. When she had, there was a rush. This was, after all, his soul; pure and concentrated. Then, when they touched- It just felt way too intimate, even if he didn't mean it that way. He didn't, did he? Her hand hovered over the keys. With her eyes shut she hit a key.

"G-flat, hunh? It suits you." She could feel the clowns hold on her tear away. Her tears fell as it seemed to rip off of her, like claws grasping at her soul. The spiritual realm around them fell as they woke up again, in the real world.

"Give it back!" The clown screeched. "My soul, give it back!"

"It's not yours clown!" Maka shouted. "It's mine, it always has been! We are not the same!"

"But we can be!" The clown pleaded, all feeling in its voice began to dissipate. "To feel, to want, to care; they are precious gifts that you squander. Give me access to that world and I'll give you my power, my knowledge. You'd never know I was there." Maka swung her scythe.

"Sorry, but no thanks." Her scythe sliced through its body, the halves fell to the ground and curled like burnt paper. A black soul floated before her, Maka reached out a grasped it. Suddenly, it popped open like a jack in the box.

"All that work and no soul?" Her partner groaned. The contraption exploded into a hand full of confetti. Maka looked at her hand.

"Eww Soul, one of your hairs ended up on my glove again. I swear you're like a cat!" She shook her hand and the long white hair fell to the ground.

"What! That's not mine, my hair isn't that long!"

"Whatever, now you're just making excuses." She paused as she noted a paper charm among the crisps of the clown contraption.. A hollow circle supported the letter 'S', underneath a symmetrical cross. On either side of the symbol a grigori wing was drawn in red ink. There's something written on the back." Maka commented. She flipped the paper over. The edge of the paper had incantations written in the language of the witches on the back were the initials 'I + C' below it 'prototype b' was written. Before she had a chance to examine the incantations the paper burst into blue flames. "We should go tell Shinigami-sama."

-8-0-8-

Medusa chuckled as she walked out of her new lab; after all that trouble, Crona ended up running home. She stretched her small arms, a yawn escaped her lips. Despite her talk about how a normal world would be boring, she was glad that a little bit of her life was back to the way it should be.

"Eruka, why don't you fetch Crona from her room." She hummed.

"I can't." Eruka said from her seat of the couch, she curled into the stiff cushions as a shield between her and the snake witch. "Crona hasn't come back yet." The small snake witch froze.

"What do you mean she hasn't come back yet?" Medusa demanded coldly. "She left Shibusen yesterday."

"I mean she hasn't come back yet." Eruka stated. "I don't know where she is, maybe she got lost or found somewhere else to stay."

"That's impossible." Medusa scoffed. She paced back and forth. Her daughter was out there somewhere, sad and motherless. She had nowhere to go other than home, what with her banished from Death City and all. "Who else would possibly have use for her." She tried to reason. Unfortunately, one thought surfaced, her sister's voice to be exact. _'Think of it as a thank you for stealing my son.'_ Medusa's blood ran cold, she turned to her crystal ball. "Arachne," the witch's voice trembled, "what are you planning?"


	11. The Tangled Web She Weaves

**AN: Woot! 40 reviews for ten chapters! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story. Well you know the drill.**

***Review Response***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Thanks, I will be skimming over some of the events in the manga, no need to rewrite what was awesome... Well that and this is a KidxCrona fic. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**B01: Yes, poor Crona. Well, things are just getting started. Now for some action. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: I did want the clowns to have, you know, a purpose in the whole realm other than Ohkubo's "Meh, how about clowns; they're spooky right?" Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**CK8: Well then, here's the next chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Deep green pines rushed past Crona's window as classical music trickled out of the driver's seat. The young witch fidgeted on the black leather of the limo. It was so... fancy. Once again she felt out of place, then again; she shouldn't complain.

"T-thank you for picking me up Mosquito-sama." She stuttered. "I'd hate to have been a burden." The short man glanced at her in the rear view mirror.

"It was no burden at all young miss." Mosquito said. "You are Arachne-san's niece, family is always welcome."

"Just family?" Crona asked. "Then my weapon won't be welcome?"

"Not necessarily, if you want I can pick them up." Mosquito said. His orders had been to make sure Crona came with him at all costs, luckily it seemed that Crona had the same idea. Though from the description Arachne had given him, he expected a hideously unruly child; but perhaps Arachne's qualities were stronger than Medusa's teachings.

"Oh that won't be necessary, Ragnarok's already here." Crona said.

"Ragnarok?" He asked in wonder. Arachne's son was here? His eyes widened in shock as said weapon emerged from Crona's back.

"Man Crona, you sure know how to upgrade your life." He said, looking about the back seat. "I mean, a limo, seriously? I never thought you were a gold digger."

"W-what? I'm not digging for anything. I'm just sitting in a car." Crona explained. Her weapon went to hit her, but stopped.

"You know what, I'm gonna' let this one slide." He said with arms crossed. "If I hit you too much I'll be knocking out what little brains you gained. Then where would I be?"

"Umm...right here?" Crona answered.

"That was a rhetorical question, dummy!" The weapon pulled at her cheeks. "I swear, sometimes it really stinks to share your body." Mosquito focused back on the road. So that was why Arachne showed a sudden interest in the girl.

"Ragnarok, stop!" Crona whined.

I was a shame, she was a nice girl.

-8-0-8-

Kid walked to the Death Room, he could fix this. All he had to do was talk to his father. A little courage could go a long way, right? He sighed, maybe he wouldn't be able to fess up about his investigation, but he could try to reason with his father instead. When he tried to talk to him the first time he had been angry, irrational. If he explained a compromise calmly, maybe he would get through.

He reached for the handle then stopped. There was so many ways this could go wrong, thirty-seven of which ended with humiliation and a whack to the head. He tried to open the door once more, but froze when he heard muffled voices on the other side. Biting his lip, Kid scoped the hallway. If anyone caught him eavesdropping it would be the end of his reputation. A pair of recognizable voices could be heard when Kid put his ear to the door.

"I don't see what you have to gain by coming here." His father said. There was a rise of hushed whispers from within the room, about forty or fifty people. "Then again, that's probably your angle isn't it, Medusa." Kid's face grew pale. Medusa was alive, but Crona said- "That snake you planted in Marie really messed us up."

"Not me, Crona. This is the first I've set foot in Nevada since the Kishen was released." Medusa corrected. "Frankly I had hoped to stay out of the desert all together, it's bad for my skin." Crona was the spy, but why? "I'm here to give information." Medusa said. Kid pulled away from the door, his hands shaking slightly.

_'Shini-kun, I found information on Grimoire.'_

_ 'Crona, that's great, but where did you find this? I thought we checked all the books.'_

_ 'I'll tell you when you get back.'_

Medusa, Medusa was the one that told her. Then the snake must have been payment for the information. It was his fault she was gone. She had ventured to unhealthy lengths to help him and now she was gone. He let his gaze drop from his father's door and walked lifelessly down the hall.

-8-0-8-

Medusa had been dragged back to her cell, thick bindings trapper her arms, a door blocked her view. She listened to the footsteps of her escort fade into the darkness. A sigh escaped her lips, she tilted her head to glimpse at the moon through a barred window.

"Mortis, you really haven't changed." She groaned. When she launched her team into the battle of the brew, she had won. With careful planning of course, not brute strength. It was her plan to trade the brew for her daughter, but Shinigami-sama kicked her out first."You bastard." She spat. She dropped her gaze from the window, not wanting to dwell on the matter. A cold gust blew into the room, caring with it a few drops of rain. The sky groaned, a clap of thunder echoed through the cramped cell.

The snake witch closed her eyes to fight her own mind. Memories flashed before her in broken sparks. A fragment of her mother surrounded by flames, tied to a stake, while the ancients did nothing. The flames in her mind bled into a rain of fire that fell down on the castle of Salem. The smell of smoke mixed with the damp mud of her home. Witches that had been captured, women and children; the brief glimpse of night shifted in her mind to that of a black cloak.

She recalled the explosion in Grimoire that followed, how the force of the blast sent her careening backward into the swamp. How her body ached and the harsh feeling in her stomach as she coughed up water, the freezing mud that had coated her skin. In her mind she stood from the black muck, a soft drizzle fell on her battered skin. She walked barefoot toward the wreckage, among which was the brilliant red of warfare.

She shook her head, the memories dissipated with each shake. Lightning crashed through the sky as she clenched her jaw.

"Calm yourself," She shook, "you'll find her."

-8-0-8-

Kid waited outside the Chupa Cabra bar, the death scythes had suddenly been assigned a mission under the suggestion of an anonymous tip. A red-headed woman ran out of the bar clad in a butterfly kimono.

"Run Arisa!" Came a shout from inside the bar. The girl tripped and fell to the floor. Her collision with the ground startled the monarch that clung to her hair. Tears spilled from her eyes as she looked up. Her eyes locked with his, fear flooded her face at the sight of him. A pang shot through him; she knew who he was, but most of all, knew he wouldn't help her.

"You have both been accused of practicing witchcraft." Sid said. He slipped hand cuffs around Arisa's wrists and picked her up off the ground. "You're under arrest."

"How dare you!" A blond shouted as she too was hand cuffed. "We didn't do anything wrong! Spirit, tell them! They listen to you, don't they?"

"Sorry, but these are Shinigami-sama's orders." Spirit said. He averted his gaze from the girls. Kid couldn't tear his stare from the scene, is this what it was like? Was everyone powerless against his father's wishes? Would he have really been able to stop him from banishing Crona after all?

"S-spirit?" Risa said, fear poured from her soul. "You know us, we'd never hurt anyone! Spirit, please!"

"I'm sorry." He said. The two girls were carted off. Risa continued to object while Arisa cried silently. "I really am."

-8-0-8-

"Did you guys see the witches that were brought in?" Patty exclaimed to the group. They sat in a small circular room in the left tower of Shibusen, previously used for the storage of overused school property.

"Yeah, we saw the whole thing." Soul answered. He sunk further into a dusty, old recliner. "Do you know what they did?"

"Who cares?" Patty shrugged. "We're finally getting somewhere! All this waiting and listening has been driving me nuts!" She flopped onto a torn up couched and propped her feet on a lopsided kotatsu.

"Well Kid was there," Tsubaki said, "I'm sure he'll know." She turned to Kid expectantly, but the boy said nothing.

"Kid?" Maka asked. He jolted, the group watched him with concern.

"What?" He asked. They continued to stare at him. "Oh, right!" He said. "They didn't do anything." Kid mumbled.

"Well then who did they help?" Liz asked.

"No one, they didn't do anything." Kid reiterated.

"Well surely they must have done something." Tsubaki insisted.

"Only if working in a Cabaret is evil." Kid sighed. There was a heavy silence in the room.

"Well that's a given." Maka chuckled nervously. The atmosphere lightened slightly. "But if they didn't do anything, how did Shinigami-sama find them?"

"Medusa told him." Kid said. All of a sudden objections shot from his friends. "She's a prisoner here at Shibusen and has been giving us valuable information. My only guess is she hates other witches more than she hates us." The bell rang to end the school day.

"You guys can stay up here if you want." Black Star offered.

"Thanks, but we have to go to work." Liz waved goodbye to the group.

"Yeah," Patty giggled, "thanks for sharing your secret hideout with us." The two walked through the open archway.

"Well it's not much of a secret now." Black Star mumbled.

"I have to go grocery shopping." Tsubaki said. "I'll see you later Black Star."She waved and turned to leave.

"There's an order I have on hold at the record store, they'll cancel it if I don't get there in time." Soul grumbled. He followed the others out.

"I should probably head home too." Kid announced. Maka turned to Black Star her seat on the left.

"I think Soul is right." She said once Kid left, "Kid's been acting strange. I mean, he sat here in this room and didn't once complain about the asymmetry."

"Maybe he's just tired." Black Star dismissed. "We've all been tense since that stupid Kishen was released." Maka bit her lip and looked to the archway. "So I was wondering, if you didn't have a mission today, if you'd like to go to the movies-"

"Something's definitely wrong with Kid." Maka affirmed. "I'm going to talk to him." She stood, "I'll see you tomorrow." With a wave she hurried down the hall to catch up with Kid, leaving Black Star behind. "Kid!" She shouted, said shinigami came into view. "Kid, wait up!" He turned.

"Maka, what's wrong?" He asked.

"That's what I should be asking you." Maka said. "You've been acting strange for the past few days."

"...I'm sorry?" Kid managed.

"There's no need to apologize." Maka said. "Just tell me what's wrong. You know you can talk to me, we're friends after all."

"I honestly don't know-"

"It's Crona, isn't it." Maka stated. The shinigami deflated, he looked to the side and bit his lip. "Ever since she disappeared your wavelength had been off. I know it must be hard for you-"

"It's none of your business." Kid growled.

"...Kid." Maka rested a hand on his shoulder, but he slapped it away.

"We have nothing to talk about!" Kid snapped. "You keep running around, thinking you can fix everything, but your wrong! Things happen and you can't do anything about them, O.K. you just can't! This isn't about her and there's nothing wrong with me! Just leave me alone!" Maka's lip trembled.

"You know what? Fine!" She shouted, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry I cared!" Kid stormed off, his temper cooled. Of course he was upset Crona was gone, but having someone point it out made it seem worse. His decisions drove off the young witch and he hadn't noticed until it was too late. It wasn't Maka's fault he was angry at himself, and then he went and blew up at her. "How disgusting," He spat. What happened wasn't fair to anyone. "I must get a better hold on my emotions."


	12. A Little Goes a Long Way

**AN: Shorter chapter this time, hope you like it.**

***Review Response***

**Chabeli05: I don't know what's been up with FF, I got your review e-mailed to me two days after you posted it online. Anyway as requested, more Medusa back story is coming your way. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Crona walked into a grand chamber, the lights were doused; only a few trickles of sunlight illuminated the room. The elegant chair that sat at the end of the room was covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Crona!" A voice chimed. "I'm so glad you decided to come!" Crona looked up to see a massive web of thin, delicate strands; in which Arachne sat, suspended over the stone floor.

"Oh, hello Arachne-san." Crona bowed. "Thank you for letting us stay here." Arachne smiled.

"No problem dear. The sooner I got you out of that horrible situation, the better." Arachne cooed.

"So, will I be staying with you?" Crona asked. The spider witch frowned a bit.

"Oh no, no, no." She shook her head. "You have your own room."

"O.K." Crona mumbled.

"I'd love to chit-chat more dear, but I have business to attend to. Oh Giriko~!" She called in sing song. The chainsaw shuffled into the room. "Be a dear and show Crona to her room." The man quirked an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Arachne, you feeling alright?" He asked.

"Giriko." Arachne hissed through a smile.

"Alright! Alright, I'm goin'." Giriko surrendered. "Geez, come on Corona."

"Ah, Crona." She corrected.

"Whatever." He shrugged.

"Now, now Giriko," Arachne chided, "this is a new place to her. We're practically strangers. How is she supposed to feel safe with us when you're being so mean." She pouted.

"Oh," Giriko, "Ooh! Oh, I get it. Sorry, I'm a little hung over right now."

"How delightful." Arachne groaned.

"This way." Giriko said. "...wait, no it's left of here." Crona bit her lip and followed the man.

"I can do this." Crona whispered.

-8-0-8-

"Was the list of witches names correct?" Medusa asked through the door. There was a light jingle of metal on metal.

"Yes." Spirit said blandly. "Though I don't know what you had to gain."

"They annoyed me?" Medusa suggested. "Is that what you expected me to say? Honestly, you're so thick headed, it's hardly any fun talking to you. Stein's a much better conversationalist."

"Well you're stuck with me, Stein left." Spirit growled. There was a short silence from within her cell.

"I see, that's too bad. I might have been able to help him had he stayed." Spirit scowled at this.

"Why you-" He opened the door ready to give the witch a piece of his mind. Only to find a smirking witch.

"Since you're in here would you mind releasing my bindings?" She gave a cute little smile.

"If you wanted them off, why didn't you take them off yourself?" Spirit asked suspiciously.

"It's the principal of the thing." Medusa preached. "Never bite the hand that feeds you and all that. Now, if you don't mind?" Spirit crouched down and unclasped the rubber restraints. He paused, the witch's necklace caught him off guard. A small glass vial with a blushish gray stripe of glue along the side.

-o-flash-o-back-o-

Spirit slipped into the school lab, he crept past twisted flasks and beakers full of boiling liquids.

"Stein-kun?" Spirit whispered into the darkness. "Are you here?" There was silence, only the occasional whistle from a machine sounded about the room. "You'll get in trouble if Hyde-sensei finds you down here again." There was nothing once more. Spirit took this as a chance to poke around the lab. His reluctant partner often had little projects hidden around their teacher's lab. What caught his eye was a little vial about an inch in length and as thin as the tip of a thermometer. A black stopper closed the small container and a beautiful silver chain was hooked onto the dainty charm. He held the small vial in his fingers and touched the stopper.

"What are you doing senpai?" Stein asked over spirit's shoulder. The scythe jumped, dropping the vial in the process. It fell to the floor with a small 'tink'. Stein stooped to pick up the necklace and saw a crack now ran down the side. The pale boy turned slowly. "Senpai~" He said darkly. "Is there a reason you broke the project I spent months on?"

Spirit stumbled backward. Despite his miester's age, the young scientist had quite a temper. Were it not for his morals, Spirit was sure the boy would've gone on a dissection rampage.

"Hold on, I can fix it!" He grabbed the nearest bottle of goo and the small vial. He squeezed the blue goo on his friend's work and handed it to the boy.

"It'll dry blue, but I guess it's fine." He gingerly took the chain."I hope it still works."

"Why'd you make something like this?" Spirit asked, "I never took you for an inorganic guy." Stien looked the ground.

"That's- Why were you looking for me?" That's right, he had to report back to Shinigami-sama.

"We have a mission in Salem."

-o-flash-o-back-o-end-o-

"It's a soul vile if you're wondering." Medusa grumbled. "Now would you let go of it, it's very fragile." Spirit snapped out of his revered. There was no doubt about it, that was the same vial that went missing after their mission in Salem. The mission that left Stein's soul in shreds. It took Hyde a week to get Stein into a stable state, but he was never the same afterwards. Sometimes it seemed like the only thing keeping him together were the sutures Hyde used to piece Stein's soul back together.

"Where did you get that?"

"It was a gift from a friend, it used to be able to hold a piece of someone's soul wavelength, but I doubt it could hold anything now. It's just a good luck charm."

"You're lying." Spirit hissed. This woman was the reason Stein had left Shibusen, she had to be. How far back had Medusa tugged at the strings of his partner.

"If you insist." Medusa shrugged. "I'd say it's worked so far. I trust you found the brew

"Yes, right where you said it would be." Spirit agreed. "What do you hope to gain from this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Medusa asked innocently. "I want a deal with Lord Death. I've shown that my sources are accurate. I will trade Arachne's location in exchange for a favor."

-8-0-8-

"This place feels weird." Crona mumbled. "It's been a while since I felt alone." Her sigh irked her weapon.

"And what am I, chopped liver!" Ragnarok shouted. He pulled at his miester's hair in frustration. "It's because I'm made of blood isn't it? Well can a not-person do this?"

"I'm sorry!" Crona cried.

"Yeah, you better be!"

"That's not what I meant! I said that wrong!" She swatted at him. "Please stop!" Ragnarok ceased his instigation.

"Alright, than what did you mean?" He crossed his pudgy arms.

"Well, recently we had a lot of friends." Crona explained. "Even back when we were with Medusa, there was another wavelength I could sense, but once it left, it was just us... Now its just us again and it feels different from when we had other people." There was a silence.

"Who?" Ragnarok asked.

"Hunh? What do you mean?" She immediately received a double noogie.

"Who's wave length was it?" Ragnarok demanded. "You've been keeping a secret from me this whole time! How can you live with yourself you liar!"

"I-I didn't think it m-mattered." Crona stuttered as her weapon mussed up her hair.

"Like hell it doesn't! If you don't tell me, I'll make the people here hate you!" Ragnarok growled.

"O.K., O.K. just don't make people hate us!" Crona shouted, Ragnarok sat back and rested against the wall like a child at story time. "When we were little, I didn't know how to deal with most things, including madness. I'd only fall in brief bursts. When I was insane, I felt someone else's wavelength.

"The first few times I felt it, it scared me. Then it started to reach out to me. Then one day, it stopped; I couldn't get near it. The next day it was gone. I never could find it again."

"Well it's just as well." Ragnarok said. "You don't need someone who would drag you into madness. You have plenty of friends, I'm sure they'll be able to visit too. Once Arachne's used to having us around."

"Promise?" Crona asked. She sunk into the soft blue blankets.

"Yeah, I promise." Ragnarok sighed. "Now get some sleep."

-8-0-8-

"Hey, hey Maka!" Shinigami-sama greeted. "I hope you don't mind me calling on such short notice."

"No, it's fine." Maka grumbled. The shingami tilted his head,.

"Something wrong?" He asked. Maka looked down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry. Something happened before I got here is all." The shinigami remained silent. "It's just- I tried to help Kid and he blew up at me! All I did, was ask if something was wrong and he totally freaked out!"

"Kid has always been hard to deal with." Shingami-sama agreed. "He always tries to deal with his problems on his own. More so then most boys his age." Maka's frown deepened. "But," she looked up, "he's improved more in the past three months then he has in eight years. I'm sure, given time, he'll find someone to lean on other than himself. I hope you could be that person." Maka smiled.

"I'll try my best!" Maka's smile faltered. "But I did want to tell you about the mission, in Russia-"

"That's right, I asked you here to tell you something." Shinigami-sama exclaimed. "I don't want you taking on any missions for a while. Shibusen in on the verge of war, you and other students will be sent to being down Arachnophobia. For now, you should probably head home and get some rest."

"But Shinigami-"

"See you tomorrow Maka." Shinigami-sama insisted. The sythe miester grudgingly walked out of the death room.


	13. Blame it on the Juice

**AN: Well here we are, close to the end of the Baba Yaga castle siege, you know what that means. ^^ Review Reponses! O.K. maybe not, but here they are anyway. **

**The Animal Monster: It gets even better and yes, they will end up together in the end; just stick with me. ^.o Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Chibi Medusa is adorably deadly. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Yes I do wonder who? Jk I know, all will be reveled in good time. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**B01: You're back! ^^ Ah, you caught Shinigami's little hint there. Well that too will be explained in time, but first we have to get through Arachnophobia and such. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

"You want to do what?" Spirit exclaimed. Medusa held up a tiny hand.

"Hush, the grownups are talking." Medusa chided. She turned back to the Shinigami."Do we have a deal?"

"What makes you think I'll let you lead the mission in Arachne's castle?" Shingami asked gravely. The witch smirked.

"You don't have any other options."

-8-0-8-

Maka's group brought up the rear of the invasion force while Ox and the others followed their leader closely. The scythe miester fumed, how could Shinigami-sama let Medusa of all people, lead this mission. She wanted to ask Kid; but had a feeling if he knew, he wouldn't tell her.

"I can feel you glaring at me," Medusa said coolly. "if you have something to say, then say it." The witch continued to lead them down the stone hallway.

"You have a lot of nerve trying to order us around." Maka spat. "I know you tricked Crona into spying on Shibusen, and if that's not enough, you kidnapped her from the people who actually loved her. Then you had the gall to turn around and demand to lead the mission-"

"You're mistaken." Medusa said. He paused her progress to study the stone before her. "If you recall, it was Shibusen who banished my daughter. When that happened, I waited with open arms for her to come home, but she never came.

"I may be nothing but an object of fear to my daughter, but I am a mother above all else and no mother wants to be separated from their child. That's why I need to lead this mission, Arachne has my daughter."

"Wait," Soul interjected. "Why would Arachne have Crona?" Medusa stood in silence, her shoulders slumped, her head hung low.

"She plans to kill her." Medusa whispered.

-8-0-8-

Arachne sat suspended over the broken floor, a placid smile on her face. She sipped ideally at a glass of wine. Mosquito and Giriko walked into the room.

"The morality machine is functioning in full force." Mosquito reported. "The tanuki witch has become our ally as well as her friend."

"Wonderful." Arachne smiled. She turned to Giriko.

"Yer niece is sound asleep in her room. She still thinks that you're putting her up for a few nights." Giriko replied.

"Just as she should," Arachne replied. "Oh, Mosquito? How far along has Eibon gotten?" The short man frowned.

"He still requires some materials madam." Mosquito grumbled. "He claims that the body is almost finished."

"Then give him access to the necessary materials." Arachne concurred. "The sooner I get my son out of that parasitic body the better."

"Wait, what?" Giriko shouted. "Let me get this straight; ya hired an outside guy to make an artificial body, when you got me!"

"Giriko, quiet down. You're giving momma a headache." Arachne chided. "I know you're very good at making golems, but Ragnarok needs a living body to transmute to."

"What do you think I've been doing the past 800 years?" Giriko demanded.

"I'm sorry," Arachne sighed. "but creating a living body from scratch requires a sophisticated magic that you simply can not do. Eibon is the only one I know who has successfully created an artificial body. Now run along, I have business to attend to."

"I'm going to have a drink." Giriko grumbled. Mosquito watched as the chainsaw stormed out of the room.

"Such a disrespectful child." Mosquito grimaced. "I have no idea why you took him in."

"He needed me." Arachne replied.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but he is a grown man now." Mosquito said. "Perhaps it is time for him to move out?" Arachne sat back and pondered the notion.

"Yes, I suppose the bird does have to leave the nest."

-8-0-8-

Darkness enveloped the group as they sat on the stone floor of Baba Yaga castle. Medusa had snuck off to nab a disguise for the shibu-kids. So they sat in wait for the witch to come back. Black Star couldn't help himself, he laughed.

"For the last time," Kid hissed, "let it drop!" Soul turned to Black Star with an evil smirk.

"Yeah Black Star, don't insult our flash light." Soul snickered, Kid glared at the two.

"I'm serious, it's not funny." Kid whined. When he left Shibusen, he had slipped the brew into his jacket pocket. With all that had happened as of late, he didn't trust his father; especially with a magic tool as dangerous as the brew. What he hadn't counted on, was that the brew reacted to souls by lighting up.

"Don't get mad at us." Black Star chuckled, "We're not the ones with the magical glowing ass!" The two laughed for a while before Black Star became oddly serious. "Do all gods glow like a lightning bug?" A black cloak hit him in the face.

"Put these on." Medusa hushed. Each student slipped on their new uniform. Each wore an identical mask and cloak. They scrambled to identify each other.

"Wait," Soul exclaimed, "where's Medusa?" There was no sign of the short witch anywhere.

"CRAP!" Black Star shouted. A hand covered the air holes in his mask.

"Black Star!" Maka hissed. "We're not supposed to be here, remember." A man cleared his throat and the group turned. There Mosquito stood with two guards, clearly disgruntled.

"Gentlemen; take them," Mosquito ordered, the group shifted in muted fear, "and assign them jobs." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We do not have time to laze about. You two," He gestured to Kilik and Black Star, "Come with me." The group had been split. Among them, Maka had been selected for cleaning duty. Her superior glanced down at her and sighed.

"Just get the bottles and get out, you'll be fine." He opened the door and gave her a quick push. With a click the door shut her in. She shuddered, the room humid and musty; the floor was caked with dirt. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Someone was looking at her.

A man about nineteen or twenty lay on the couch, he glared at her lazily and took a swig of alcohol. His brown hair stuck out at an odd angle, the sleeves to his dress shirt had been ripped off. It had to be the man she fought when Arachne surfaced, Giriko.

"Hey! What are ya doing in here?" He asked. His hand slapped the arm of the couch possessively. "This is my room." Maka trembled, the man before her was clearly intoxicated and she had nothing to protect herself if he became enraged.

"Umm... well, they wanted me to clean up in here." She stuttered. She was completely helpless before him and she hated it. Oh, if only Soul were here, she wouldn't have been so frightened. Giriko's features softened.

"Oh yeah, they keep coming in here to clean up. I don't see why, it just gets messy again." The bottle he held slipped from his lax grip and shattered on the floor. He looked down at the beer with hazed disappointment. "I still wanted that." He pouted. There was a pause and he looked up at her. There was something he was missing, something obvious. "You're a girl, aren't you?" Was that it? He stood up and looked at her.

"Yes." She squeaked. Well she was a girl, so that must have been it he reasoned. Maybe he could have some extra fun with her, he frowned; his mind slowed by the drink. She sounded young, and he wasn't in the brightest condition; well better safe then sorry. He should probably get her out of here before he got really drunk.

The door was flung open yet again. Why did people keep barging into his room? Well it was a pleasant surprise none the less, two blond cosplayers; definitely the safer bet. He looked down to the cloaked girl.

"If you want, you can come back in about two years." He told her. She nodded and began to leave as he greeted his new guests. However, the girl slipped on one of the discarded bottles on her way out. He turned to the fallen girl, his attention attracted by the load thump and saw her face. She was younger than he thought! "Make that ten." He shook his head, maybe he should lay off the beer.

-8-0-8-

"I hated muh parents," Giriko slurred. "Naw, Ah mean really hated them. They were always on business trips so they won't have ta deal with me. It wuz really stupid of me tha runaway, buh hay, Ah wuz seven." He took a drink from his seventh bottle of beer. He paused, his mood somber. "Ah usually jus hung out at a park near thish church. It wuzn' too bad, nobody bothered me fer stayin' there.

"Then one day Ah hear a woman cursin' out the priestses of the church. She kept goin' on about how they were supposed to watch someone fer her. They made her leave and she came over ta tha park Ah wuz stayin' at. N' man wuz she a complete mess; dress wuz torn, snarreled hair, maskera lines streakin' down her face. Ah did muh best ta comfert her, buh she told me ta go home.

"Of course Ah considered the park muh home at the time, so Ah just crawled under tha slide. When she saw that Ah had nowhere tha go, she raiseded me." He took a glass from the younger girl and took a gulp of the foul liquid. "Ya know, sometimes, Ah wunder if she really even cared or if Ah was jus replacin' tha kid~" He slumped to the side, drugged by the two girls who worked for Shibusen.

-8-0-8-

Arachne poured a peach liquid into a delicate, gold rimmed cup. She smiled at her niece, who took the cup in her trembling hands.

"I'm so glad we could spend time together." She chimed. "It's been a while since I've had pleasant relations with the rest of my family." Crona nodded in agreement as she sipped the sweet tea. An alarm ran through the small chamber. Crona, startled, jolted in her chair and cause the contents of her cup to slosh over the rim and sprinkle on the faded table cloth.

"What was that!" She exclaimed. Arachne frowned.

"Intruders, probably from Shibusen." She sighed.

"You won't hurt them, will you?" Crona asked with concern. Arachne gave Crona a sympathetic smile.

"Of course not, I wouldn't dream of it." She said. "I'll just have them escorted out of here, they are trespassing after all." Crona nodded sadly and traced the rim of her cup. An idea formed in the spider witch's mind and peered through the eyes of one of her spiders. "It seems one of your friends is here. A boy, in a black suit."

"That's Shini-kun!" Crona exclaimed.

"Oh is it," Arachne replied casually. "If you want, I could let you see him before he has to leave." Crona's eyes lit up.

"Really, you mean it?" Crona beamed. Her aunt nodded calmly. "Thank you, you're the best!" Arachne chuckled lightly.

"He's just through that door."

-8-0-8-

Mosquito sliced through Kid's arm with ease, it fell to the ground in a river of his own blood. His mind unraveled at the sight of his arm. He was asymmetrical; obviously, hideously asymmetrical. The shouts of his weapons were dull, his senses hazed. He felt his limbs buckled beneath him from blood loss.

'What do you think you're doing?' His mind hissed. 'Get up!' Kid quivered on the floor, he couldn't stand! The brew buzzed in his back pocket. 'Damn it, you can't die here! Get up!' the brew sparked to life, he could feel spectral ribbons spill out of the brew. They wrapped around his soul and constricted. The first line connected an instantly his soul expanded. He reached for his arm with his wavelength and pulled it toward him forcefully. He glared at Mosquito.

"You really shouldn't have done that." He growled.

-8-0-8-

Crona threw open the door and dashed inside. Finally she'd get a chance to talk with Kid, to tell him why she left.

"Just think Ragnarok," Crona squealed, "He might even be able to come by and visit sometime. And I'm sure Arachne-san wouldn't mind our research."

"Yeah, sure." Ragnarok tried, he didn't have it in him to burst her bubble, especially with his suspicion about their predicament festering in the back of his mind.

Then the door closed.

A small lantern flickered to illuminate the stuffy room. The walls were bare and only a gurney occupied the room. She turned slowly to the source of the dying light. A man stood in front of one of the doors that lead out of the room, he sighed.

"It's a shame you've been tampered with so," he shook his head, "you would have been perfect for my collection." Crona bowed.

"I-I'm sorry, I must have entered the wrong room by mistake. She went to the other door, but a smoky leach blocked the exit. "Umm... sir, I have to go meet someone."

"I can't let you do that." He opened a leather book, the golden 'S' emblem shimmered in the lantern light. He pulled at the page, a string of text pealed form the book. "Now, let's do something about those pesky bonds you've made." The text came at her and circled her neck, then the world faded from her vision.


	14. That Nagging Feeling

**AN: My computer is having issues…again. But I managed to e-mail this chapter to a different computer for editing. A lot's going to happen in this chapter so be prepared for a bombshell. **

**Chabeli05: I'm glad you like the story, but I do suggest if you haven't read the manga to this point, to do so. Otherwise, I might be spoiling the canon story for you. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: YES! I don't care what people say, I like Noah.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Thanks, I do think that some people make Medusa a little flat when it comes to her relationship with Crona, after all she did raise Crona from infancy. Personally, I prefer more well rounded villains. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**thefangirl: You're not the first to tell me that, as said above, I prefer well rounded villains. Depth is good. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Deidara4ever: What is this? It's the next chapter! XD Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

A man slipped into the hallway of Baba Yaga castle as another explosion shook the building. His work here wasn't quite done, but it was too dangerous to risk his neck for a side project. At least he was paid in advance.

"Where do you think you're going Eibon?" Mosquito hissed. The man called Eibon chuckled.

"Shouldn't you be off protecting Arachne?" Eibon asked.

"I am, by weeding out an imposter." Mosquito spat. The man shook his head.

"So you figured that out?" The man chuckled. "I wouldn't say I was an imposter, that would imply stealing. I just use the name as a form of brand recognition."

"You're a disgusting vulture!" Mosquito growled. "I should have never let you anywhere near Arachne-san! There's only one way to fix this." Mosquito charged at the man.

"Don't you want to know who I really am before you kill me?"

"I could care less who you are." He snarled. "Or what your name is you avaricious, despicable man." A worm curled away from the man's tattoo and forced Mosquito against the wall.

"Indeed... I am an avaricious collector..." He stated as he stared at the man. There was a strange flicker in his eyes as if to search for his own identity in the old man's eyes. "...by the name of Noah." The jaws of the worm crushed Mosquito, the brief flash of character now gone from Noah's eyes as he fell back into a bizarre routine. The old man's body evaporated and left behind a beaten bat. Noah sighed. "This is hardly worth my collection." He tossed the bat into the book then smirked. He walked down the hall and peered at the boy who had been watching his battle. "This however is well worth my collection." A shinigami would be the perfect addition. "It's nice to meet you Shinigami-kun." In a quick draw match Noah opened the book of Eibon and Kid threw his weapons out of harm's way. He snapped the book shut and continued his escape.

-8-0-8-

Kid opened his eyes, he was floating in a temporal space; the clutter of recent additions floated about him. He heard someone grumble.

"How many times have I told that boy to put new items in the proper chapters." Kid turned and saw a swirling cloth with a scapula as a head. On the slick white bone ink had been used to draw enchanted symbols; the cloth was tattered and encrusted with an old mixture. It moved the items with a silent spell.

"Excuse me." Kid said. He needed to find a way out of here this... thing was his best bet. But the enchanted life form ignored him. It went about collection the aloft junk and sent them to different chapters. It's next target, the brew. The being pulled at the brew, but was stopped by Kid. "Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?" Kid asked as he grasped the cube. The puppet noticed him for the first time as a living being.

"I'm doing my job." It snapped, then circled him. "Honestly, I told him, no more living additions. I already have my hands full with the other ones." Kid frowned, his hands still clasped around the brew.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I am Eibon." It answered.

"But Iroha-"

"I am not the witch Iroha, I am Eibon; where do you think you are boy? My book. And, as it is my duty to organize and construct this book, it is in a sense me." It pulled on the brew. "And if I am to get any work done, you will have to be immobilized." It examined him closely. A simple sleep spell should do." Kid's eyes drooped, Eibon turned around with the brew. A symbol was embroidered at the corner of its body. A gold 'S' stitched over a circle. Kid struggled to stay awake, but artificial exhaustion took over him.

_Kid creeped down the crystalline halls; the world was so big and undiscovered. He slipped through the double door with the elegant 'S's. There was something down here, something he wanted to see. He peaked through the door to a circular room, finally he could see a woman in tattered white clothes; her hair was tangled and rattled. his heart soared, he was about to go in when he heard a girl's voice._

_ "Iroha, just look at you!" That was Iroha? He hadn't expected her to be so disheveled. The girl who was talking with her sounded close to tears. "You've completely fallen apart." The platinum blond witch raised a hand to silence the girl. _

_ "I'm fine." Her voice was strained, the voice of the woman from his previous dream. Now she was less articulate, clumsy even._

_ "Iroha-san, please!" The girl pleaded, her voice dropped. "Maybe if you leave you'll start to feel better, get back to your old self-"_

_ "I don't want to leave Ebi-chan, I don't need to. I'm fine, honestly. As long as my little boy is perfect, I'll be happy. Right. Here."_

_ "...you're not going to run away again, are you?" The girl asked. Iroha shook her head,_

_ "I can't."_

-8-0-8-

"She's just through this door." Maka said before the Spider Queen room of Arachnophobia. "I can feel the madness of her wavelength." Medusa pressed on the wooden door. It swung inward and they stepped inside. Maka saw Arachne lying on the floor. She walked towards the collapsed witch and gasped. "She's dead! But that's impossible. I can still feel her wavelength!" Medusa frowned at the sight of her sister's body.

"Bodies are just a vessel," She commented, "they are disposable. Isn't that right Onee-san?" Laughing, Arachne reveled herself. Torrents of black smoke filled the room and swirled around the silver spider's silk.

"So, you did pay attention in class." Arachne chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, that means nothing now. I don't have a body to weigh me down anymore. I am ageless. Unreachable by Shinigami and you."

"And you thought I was ridiculous?" Medusa scoffed. "You're nothing more than a rain cloud." Arachne hissed at her younger sister and launched toward her. Maka blocked the spiritual blow by slicing through the ghost like hand. Arachne regarded Maka, then laughed heartily.

"Oh poor, poor Ebi-chan." She chuckled at Medusa, "You couldn't face me on your own so you brought a... a child to hide behind!" She chuckled some more. "That's a shame. I hoped I could talk with you one more time." Medusa took a step back as the black tendrils surrounded her and cut her off from the other miester.

-8-0-8-

"Don't you underestimate me traitor!" Medusa hissed into the empty space. "It doesn't matter what methods I use, as long as I bring you down."

"And how do you expect to do that!"Arachne howled, she flashed before Medusa and circled her like prey. "Have you forgotten who I am? When mother was burned at the stake I practically raised you. I know every little weakness." She barked. "You're pathetic, you always have been. If it weren't for my magical talent, the Sekaigami would never have let you in. You can hardly call yourself a witch, what with your 'magic'. It was all and illusion just to prove yourself. You may think you've grown up since the attack on Salem, but I know you're still that little girl who cried when she found out she couldn't be a mommy."

"And you're still the licentious creature that betrayed Iroha-san and told Shinigami where the temple was."

"Oh he would have found out eventually, he was very smart. I used to think you were fairly smart as well, until you pulled this little escapade. So tell me," She stopped before her little sister, the black clouds swirled about them. This was Arachne's world, and Medusa felt it; her sister's strongest spell, the web of persuasion. Enchanted threads poured out of her sister's mouth as she talked and slipped into the smaller witch's mind. "Why are you fighting me? What could you possibly hope to gain?" Medusa did her best to fight the spell, to keep her sister out of her mind and give Maka a chance to end what was left of her sister's soul. But Arachne was right, Medusa's magic was weak. "Tell me! We witches cannot have children willingly, and yet somehow, you miraculously have a daughter." Arachne prompted. Unwillingly, Medusa responded.

"I always wanted a child, ever since I was a little girl. Which meant I would never be able to have one. No witch who wants a child can, it's considered selfish creation."

"Except Claudia." Arachne concluded.

"When Iroha-san died, the Book of Eibon was left unguarded. So I took it. It held Claudia's notes on how to make an artificial soul."

"But Claudia didn't create a homunculus, she made an autistic demon."

"Asura was flawed, because his soul was composed of a single fragment of Claudia's soul. He wasn't a complete creature." Medusa sighed. "Iroha later added another step, a second source was needed to create a stable soul. At the time though, her sources were limited; to herself, her familiar which was sacrificed for its blood and a dog that was caught in the crossfire of Salem."

"Naturally she gave up most of herself to create a child of her own. After all, she wanted a baby, not a puppy in a human shell." Arachne agreed.

"I still had the bit of soul Franken gave me when I couldn't use soul protection to hide my wavelength from Lord Death. I used it and a piece of my soul to make Crona. I swore that I'd never let anything harm her."

"But Shibusen found her a year ago."

"I was scared, Crona wasn't strong enough to even fight off a death scythe. If Mortis hunted her down, she'd die. So I released the Kishen to distract him." Arachne frowned at this and pulled the strings away and glared at her sister, her concentration broken. Now she stood face to face with her sister on a blank white plane.

"Well that was a little extreme." Arachne huffed. "All of this was; the Kishen, and taking my son! How does any of that protect Crona from Shibusen!"

"Until my daughter is ready; she has to hide from Shibusen, completely, without a trace of her wavelength left behind. The only way to hide the soul of a god, is with the wavelength of another god." Medusa replied. At this, Arachne's brow furrowed in disbelief.

"Are you telling me that Crona's a-"

"A sekaigami, yes." Arachne's projection sliced in half. The white plan faded back to Arachne's trashed chamber. Medusa looked down at her sister's limp body. "I told you not to underestimate me. Now your body is mine." She transmuted her soul into the ebony haired form. She stood, already aware that Maka had been the one to kill her sister. The scythe miester looked around confused before glaring at Medusa.

"Where's Crona?"

"The Crona you know is gone." Medusa said and walked away. She could still see in her mind, the look on her daughter's face when she had come to rescue her and the dazed way she asked, _'Who are you?'_

-8-0-8-

They stood before Shinigami-sama, Maka with Arachne's soul, Black Star covered in bandages, and the Thompson sisters without a miester.

"You did very well." Shinigami-sama said as he took the soul. "Arachne's madness will be contained while her soul waits here for the day you collect 99 Kishen eggs.

"What about Angela?" Black Star asked.

"She will stay here, hopefully our positive wavelength will halt the sway of magic." He looked to the sisters. "Where's my son?" Liz looked to the ground.

"Someone took him," She quivered. Her sister jumped to the rescue.

"It was this really creepy dude!" Patty added. "He pulled out this big book and opened it up, and Kid went inside like WHOOSH! I was totally gonna' pound his ass into the ground, but Liz thought it would be better to wait until we had backup." The Shinigami froze.

"What did the book look like?" He asked. The gun frowned.

"I don't see how-"

"Please, what did the book look like." Shinigami demanded.

"Well it was brown, with gold edges and a circle with a gold 'S' in the middle of it." Patty recalled. Shinigami-sama looked down to the floor. Maka jolted, recognizing the description.

"Shinigami-sama, what does that symbol mean?" Maka asked. Black Star looked to Shinigami as well.

"It means my son is in the Book of Eibon." Shinigami-sama sighed. "If we don't get him back soon, we won't be able to."

"Why?" Black Star demanded. "What's in there that could stop Kid?"

"A living being was never supposed to enter that book." Shinigami lamented. "The spell that protects it lures foreign souls with promises to the center. The last student who went in was driven mad by the protective spell and his body was destroyed. Only an image remained afterward."

"An image?" Maka asked. "But that sounds like the field that surrounds the Alaskan Ruins." Shinigami sighed.

"It's the same kind of rouge magic, once cast by Eibon." He digressed.

"What happened to the student who got caught in the book?" Soul asked.

"His soul was ripped apart by the book." Shinigami frowned behind his mask. "We previously thought the book to be destroyed as well." Liz held up her hands.

"You're telling me that this book literally eats people!" She cried. "How long do we have until that happens?" The shinigami turned to the mirror and raised a hand to call the Death Scythes.

"A week."


	15. That Which is Lost

*** Review Response ***

**Deidara4ever: I do find it strange that a person like Medusa would intentionally have a kid, just to mistreat them. Who knows, maybe Ohkubo has something up his sleeve. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Yep, that's the forbidden magic, human transmutation. Well in this case, rather than a monster, the creation took on a more dangerous form. But yeah, I have a plot now. XD Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Yep, I think that threw a lot of people... But it was totally worth it! Needless to say Crona is not a fully awakened Sekaigami, she's kind of in a suspended pupa state, if you get what I mean. Ragnarok is there to stunt her soul's growth. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**FantasyForever310: It will tie together, I swear, it finally has started to; I just have a few more bomb shells like this one and we will have our full our plot! Bwahahaha! Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Thank you! I love to hear from my readers, also thank you for reviewing.**

**B01: I hear ya, computers can be so evil sometimes, phones too. I do want to keep this story focused on Kid and Crona, rather then the whole group. But I'll admit, I'm a tried and true Gopher fan as well, thus will be important later on. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Giriko stood transfixed before an old church. After the fall of Arachnophobia, he had nowhere to go other than the annoying village of his youth. So instead, he had wandered around the decrepit castle in search of another survivor. Instead he found his rival, Justin Law, who offered revenge for Arachnae's demise in exchange for his help with something else. Seeing as he had no better alternative, he followed the death scythe to Chicago.

The church was in a severe state of disrepair. The roof had peeled open, the walls were made of solid stone, though splintered wood still clung to the building. Beside the fenced off church, a rundown park with a rusted slide sat. The grounds were practically buried in tall, unkempt grass. Above all else, it held an eerie familiarity, like he had been here before a long time ago. He turned to the blond weapon.

"This place-" He started.

"It's a dump, I know." Justin dismissed. "But it's where I grew up and coincidentally; completely abandoned for our convenience. No one comes here and there are no bills, the perfect base of operations." He boldly walked past the chainsaw and into the ramshackle church.

"Base of operations for what?" Giriko demanded as he followed the clown-weapon duo.

"You'll see." Justin smirked. The main body of the church was empty, every pews had been hacked down to fire wood for the winter. The carpet had been mended with intricate care and a rusted chandelier hung from the warped boards of the ceiling. A figure walked through the room, over loaded with paper bags. The clown at Justin's side groaned in annoyance.

"Not her." He began to fade. "I'll see you later Justin. I don't have the patience to deal with her today." Unlike his partner, Justin waved to the other occupant.

"Hey Gopher!" Justin greeted. Gopher turned, the four bags still in hand. A thin frown was plastered on the ebony haired underling. The term 'her' was loosely used, as the person before them was barely feminine. Her frame was thin and flat, her hair hung limp and greasy from her last mission. The only hint to her gender was her chunky pump which were hidden by her flared pants.

"Where have you been?" Gopher snarled. "You were supposed to be back here an hour ago with Maka Albarn." The guillotine shrugged.

"I got side tracked." He said loftily, "Besides she was long gone before I got there." Gopher scowled at him.

"Well that isn't my problem, or at least it shouldn't be." Gopher snapped. "While you were messing around, I had to- who is that?"

"Well I didn't want to leave empty handed." Justin defended. Gopher's suspicious gaze fell on Justin. "I figured we could use the extra help." Gopher was about to object when she saw someone walk towards the steps.

"Noah-sama!" She squealed, dropping a bag in the process. A few cans rolled out of the paper bag. She bent to pick them up, but dropped another bag in the process, completely and utterly flustered. Justin nudged the chainsaw in the ribs and gestured to the twitterpated girl. Giriko caught the hint and helped her pick up the fallen bags. She looked at him confused for a moment; then mentally made a decision. "Noah-sama, we have a new follower." She said, oddly formal. The collector nodded a smug smirk on his face.

"Yes, I suppose we do." He walked past the group then paused. The man quirked an eyebrow at Giriko then shook his head. "I'll be in my study, do not disturb me." Gopher nodded. "And I do hope you'll get your hands on Maka Albarn for me."

"I'll see to it myself." Gopher said with a poker face. The man waved a hand of dismissal and entered his room. At the sound of the door Gopher whipped around to face Giriko.

"You're lucky Noah-sama was in a good mood today." Gopher thrust the bags in his arms.

"What's this?" He asked indignantly.

"Look, if you're gonna' stay, you're gonna' work." Gopher huffed. "Now if you excuse me, I have a little girl to beat to a pulp." Gopher stormed past the two weapons and extended her soul wings. Justin gave Giriko a congratulatory pat on the back.

"Welcome to the team." He chuckled. "Now make me a samich sleeping beauty."

"I outta' kill you." Giriko hissed.

-8-0-8-

Crona's lungs ached from the dry air, her sword shook in her grasp as she stood face to face with his morningstar. She hesitated and the spiked weapon collided with her side.

_"What do you think you're doing?"_ Medusa hissed, _"Finish him!"_ She fell to the ground from the impact and lay limp on the ground. Her legs still felt weak from the past bed ridden days. _"I didn't save you so you could lie around, get up." _She nodded and dislodged the weapon from her side. She had to; the woman who saved her, said she was her mother, told her to do so. She just had to wait for this nightmare to end.

With a single stroke she sliced through her opponent's chest. He fell to the packed earth in a broken heap. A sense of déjà vu washed over her as she stared at the diagonal cut. She had done this before, but to someone else.

"Coal!" A voice shouted from behind her. She turned to see the weapon had become another threat. He glared at her. "Screw the list." he growled and dashed at her, his arm partially transformed. She calmly hit the aslant in the abdomen with the handle of her sword, the spike tore through his muscle. She looked with mild curiosity at the tie clip her enemy wore, a three toothed skull. The weapon stumbled backwards and sputtered.

"Why were you looking for me?" She demanded. The weapon couldn't answer, but merely convulsed on the ground. Medusa observed the situation to be safe and floated down from the shadows.

"He wasn't looking for you dear." Medusa sighed. Crona shook her head and pointed to the skull.

"But he- someone is looking for me." Crona sputtered. Medusa frowned at her gently.

"Now why would someone be looking for you?" Medusa chided. "If someone was looking for you, wouldn't they have been the one to find you in that dusty old castle, rather than me?" Crona tried to answer, but cringed. Her head was starting to ache. Medusa simply shook her head and grasped her daughter's hand. "If anyone is still looking for you, they'd be trying to kill you." Crona nodded and looked down at her sallow victim and frowned. Of course, how silly of her. The only reason the skull looked familiar was because many people wore the symbol. No one was looking for her.

-8-0-8-

"There's nothing in here!" Maka groaned. She flipped furiously through the book. She shut the copy shut and stared at the weather beaten ceiling. A sigh escaped her lips as she sunk into the worn couch of the circular hideaway.

"Hey Maka." She turned to see Black Star in the door way.

"Oh, hey!" She tried to discreetly hide the book.

"What'cha reading?"

"What are you talking about?" She chuckled nervously and went to tuck the book behind her back, but Black Star was too fast.

"Eh~b~on?" Black Star sounded out as he held the book.

"G-give that back!" She went for the book, but the ninja dodged her artfully.

"Maka," he said slowly, "where did you get his?" The girl blushed.

"My dad." She shifted under his gaze.

"...why do you need this?" He asked. The book was only barrier between the two. Maka's fingers traced the fool's-gold 'S'.

"Well, you see," Maka faltered, "I wanted to know more about the witch Claudia, this was the only book that mentions her, but it's just stuff she wrote about sorcery."

"You want to know about Claudia?" Black Star asked slowly, processing what it was she had said. He shifted and checked the room quickly for mirrors.

"Black Star?" He pulled a large board and blocked the doorway.

"I may know about her." he motioned for her to sit on the couch and flopped into the busted recliner. "Normally I wouldn't go into a lengthy anecdote; but when the masses speak, they're hard to ignore." He looked to the floor nervously; above all else he hadn't wanted Maka to know about his family. He was, after all, supposed to be strong for her. The optimistic one, not some sappy orphan. Yet, it seemed that those days were slowly disappearing. He looked up at her confused expression and clenched his hands. If he really wanted to protect her, he'd have to tell her the truth before she delved too deep. She had invested too much time in this school to be kicked out for being a spy. "The reason I grew up at Shibusen, was because my parents were executed by Shinigami."

"Black Star, I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry for? You didn't do it." He frowned. "Besides, they were bad people. My father almost became a kishen and my mother was an ex-fortune teller."

"What does this have to do with Claudia?"

"I'm getting to that." Black Star stated. It was odd to Maka that her friend was talking to her so seriously. "Because of my mom's... weirdly accurate prediction thingies, she was considered a witch. More accurately a voodoo witch."

"A witch with non-combatant magic."

"Right," Black Star continued, "people like her trained under the first voodoo witch, this 'Voodoo Queen' Claudia; just a bunch of clairvoyants and illusionists. Then one day Claudia snapped, she ate a bat and went rouge. Afterward she made these parasitic monsters and was put on Shinigami's list. A real nut job I've heard; white hair, demonic red eyes, a weird creeper-smile, the works. Well, even with this new demonic magic she still couldn't fight. So she hired the Star Clan to protect her. They fought off Shibusen for about six months before Shinigami-sama executed her by hand."

"Why did she hire body guards?" Maka asked, "Couldn't she have run?"

"Sid told me that she was using a really powerful spell that took a lot out of her. She was trying to build this ultimate weapon or something, but when they stormed her house all they found was a little kid. They assume she kidnapped him to practice her spells on. Sid didn't believe that though, said he looked too much like her. After that they had to hunt down the clan members who went rouge." There was a prolonged pause. She wanted to ask him about his parents, but Kid's words still stung. He was right in this instance, nothing she said could change what happened to the Star Clan. "My father was one of the last to be executed and then I was taken to Shibusen and you know the rest." Maka couldn't help herself.

"What about your mother?" Maka asked; the ninja shrugged.

"Sid wouldn't tell," he said loftily, "said that I didn't need to know. Not that is matters, either way, I'm still me. I'm better than some murky back-story."

"Black Star..." Maka started, but was silenced when he put a hand on the book.

"It's not healthy to dwell on past, Maka. If you keep trying, something might happen, something bad." He stood and looked down at her, a dangerous spark in his eye. "I won't stand by if you try to do something that will hurt you." He moved the balsa-wood plank and descended down the spiral stairs. It had been an honest mistake when he told Shinigami about the books in Crona's room, he hadn't known what they were. Now that he knew the power that was held in his offhanded comments, he wouldn't repeat his mistake.

**AN: A bit of an explanation.**

**Gopher's Gender: So, I'm not really sure what gender Gopher's supposed to be. She acts like a woman, but has boyish features... but then that is the body that Noah made. So for this story I wrote Gopher as a girl, if it bothers you, you can change it on microsoft word. There are no hardcore pairings that involve Gopher.**

**morningstar: This is a type of weapon akin to a baseball bat covered in spikes.  
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**Claudia: This is the most in-depth I go when it comes to this story. If you haven't guessed yet, she's the other witch from Crona's story, the one who studied taboo magic.**


	16. A New Course of Action

***Review Responce***

**Chabeli05: I'm glad you are amused by the change, I was a little worried about how people would take it. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Claudia wasn't a fortune teller, Black Star's mom was the fortune teller. Claudia was more of the traditional Voodoo witchdoctor type (gris gris bags, potions, protective charms) but studied forbidden magics as a 'precautionary measure'. Since she couldn't use combative magic, no one thought twice about it, that is until she started making the clowns. I didn't want to get too in-depth with Claudia in this story since it's about Kid and Crona, but I might add a bit more when Asura comes into play. As for Maka's pairing, she personally doesn't have an interest in anyone right now; though as you noticed Black Star cares for her. I agree that people seem to gloss over him instead of working with his character, as seen in the manga he can be serious if need be.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Hey, every person has their area of expertise, especially if it relates to them. As for Gopher's gender, well Ohkubo has me stumped. I can see the male side of him when he was first introduced, but lately Gopher's been very feminine in actions and in facial features. Hard to tell for me.**

**B01: Sorry about the cliff hanger. I don't think I do it in this chapter. Gopher's gender confuses me due to the whole second body issue (Gopher could be a female soul in a male body made by Noah or have no gender at all!) I do wish there was more about him/her in the manga. Well we fans can hope. There is no hard core Gopher pairing in this, so never fear it still remains KidxCrona.**

As Gopher neared the practice site where the scythe miester was said to be, she mildly wondered why Noah wanted this specific girl. Rarely had he ever asked for a specific piece. The only exception had been Justin, it was a strategic move to protect their location Shibusen; even so they had found him by accident. So what was so important about this Maka?

She arrived to the area and peered at her target from behind the leaves of a nearby tree. The blond girl was yelling at a scythe... how strange. Though, come to think of it, Justin might have mentioned once or twice that he wasn't the only one who could transform into a weapon. The blond shouted at her scythe a bit more before she mounted it and spread her grigori wings.

...grigori wings? She had grigori wings! Gopher frowned, why would Noah want this, this child when he had her. She was just as good, no, better than this Shibusen twat. Heck, she had bigger, stronger wings, an enchanted wavelength even. So why would Noah need another girl with a grigori wavelength? Unless... he wanted to replace her. Fear shot through her body; Noah had been distant lately, but she had chalked it up to his work taking up his time. But if he really did want a new assistant, then Gopher was becoming obsolete; she'd never get into the book. She could lose everything she worked for to some insignificant child.

"Not if she's in pieces." Gopher muttered. Of course, Noah wouldn't want a servant without a body and he was far too busy to build a new one. And surely this child didn't have the patience or cooperation to survive a transmutation, so Gopher's body was as good as safe. Yes, she would tear that little intruder to shreds and steal her soul for Noah, that would prove she was the better fighter.

Maka said something to her flying companion and the other girl flew on ahead. Perfect, now was her chance to strike. She extended her wings and thrust forward. Maka turned her direction in surprise and dodged Gopher's first attack.

"How is that possible?" The weapon shouted. Maka concentrated and saw Gopher's soul. An unnatural wavelength that seemed to radiated dark magic, gold cemented together the conflicting flares in her personality.

"She has a grigori soul!" Maka exclaimed.

"How disgusting, peeping into other people's souls. I can't see why he wants someone like you."

"How can you hate me so much?" Maka asked incredulously. "We've never met." Gopher frowned, couldn't this girl take a hint? How dare she scrutinize her over a wavelength. Was that why Noah wanted her? She could see souls? Oh how this insect abused such a gift. She would give anything to make Noah notice her again, but this girl...

Maka rushed, well, tried to rush at Gopher for an attack. Gopher easily dodged the attempt and shook her head.

"You're too slow." She closed her eyes. "You don't know how lucky you are." She felt the energy course through her. The threat of Noah's betrayal fueled her anger. She concentrated the energy in front of her; why would Noah want to replace her? "Noah-sama!" She fired. Maka narrowly dodged the attack. The blond shouted something while Gopher recovered from the exertion of her attack.

Larger white wings shot out from Maka's scythe, her soul stronger for the fight. Gopher bit her lip at the transformation.

"You think you're so tough?" Gopher shouted. "You can't even withstand my feelings. It doesn't matter what form the body takes, it's the soul that matters to him. To think that he'd want someone like you..." She shot another blast. "It makes me so jealous!" The scythe miester's attitude changed and she charged for another attack. "I want a chance to enter the book with my own book mark too!" She had to deflect the scythe with her arm and counter quickly. She had worked too long and too hard to let some little girl take it all away. She focused again, harder this time, and shot a blast of her own wavelength to bring the miester down.

-8-0-8-

Kid leaned against the wall, suspended by his wrists. His only consolation was that he was in the middle of a symmetrical dungeon. He tugged at his bands to test their strength. While he could rotate his wrists freely, his arms remained firmly above his head. He sighed at the thought of his friends; Noah had sent someone after Maka. Hopefully she was alright, but he didn't know the extent of their power. Then there were his weapons, had they made it out of the castle alive? He worried over what had happened after he left. Did they defeat Arachne? Did his father know where he was? Had they found Crona?

His face blanched at the thought. Other than him, Maka, and maybe Medusa; nobody had been actually looking for her. She could have been trapped somewhere, or taken away like he had. If only he had tried harder, he could have forced her to stay. His shoulder tingled at the sight of previous detachment. What if Crona didn't want to be found? There was no way she'd want to be rescued by a weak shinigami who couldn't even protect his own arm.

Despite the mental images of her look of disgust at the sight of him, the way she'd shout at him to go away; he couldn't help but imagine the way her hair would flit about her shoulders and the striking blue of her eyes. But the image was hazy, hard to define. It had been a week since she left and he could no longer see her face clearly in his mind. Yes, it would have been nice to see her again, even if she did hate him. And for the first time since Crona left, he let himself miss her.

A loud bang startled him out of his thoughts. He looked up at the figure who stood in the doorway. The girl stared wildly about the room only to have her gaze rest on Kid.

"Who are you?" She asked slowly. Kid stiffened, that was the voice of the assassin that was sent after Maka. He smirked at her shortness of breath.

"Maka gave you a sound beating, did she?" He chuckled. The girl growled, strands of limp, black hair fell in her face.

"I asked you a question; who are you?" The girl hissed, but made no move to leave the door.

"What, your leader didn't tell you?" Kid asked snidely. "As arrogant as that man is, it wouldn't surprise me."

"Why you pretentious little-" She lunged forward, but stopped short. Her hands clutched a long cut in her side and she fell to the floor. Biting back a sob, she pulled herself from the ground and readied herself for a more planned assault.

"Hey Gopher," Justin called down the hall. She turned to the doorway, her puffy red eyes highlighted in the lamp light. "Gopher I-" Justin stopped when he saw Gopher's meek attempt to hurt the shinigami, a trail of blood on the floor. "Gopher, what are you doing?" He looked to the wound and Gopher's bloodshot eyes.

"Go away," Gopher shouted. "I have a pest to take care of." Justin grabbed her wrist.

"Not now," he pleaded, "Noah wouldn't like you hurting his collection."

"But-"

"Besides, you're hurt." Justin insisted. "Why don't you just go lie down in your room and rest." He led her out of the room. Gopher looked over her shoulder and glared at the shinigami.

"But, that was my room." She pouted.

-8-0-8-

Shinigami-sama sat in his mirror room, Sid and Spirit had recruited the Chupacabra witches for the future mission. Somehow it ended up as a cocktail party. He watched the illusionary butterfly glide by.

"So, about my son." He attempted, but was cut off by Arisa.

"Who wants more champagne!" She cheered, happy to be free from her charges.

"My son-" Shingami tried again.

"Oh, Sid wants some, don't you Sid?" Spirit teased.

"I wasn't a drinking man." Sid declined.

"Would you please listen!" Shinigami roared. "My son has been kidnapped by someone with the Book of Eibon! Do you know what that means? He has a week to live, by now closer to SIX DAYS! We do not have time to mess around with this stupid nonsense!" The raging shinigami was tapped on the shoulder.

"Hey." Black Star stated, "I brought you something." He held out a frog. The shinigami growled in frustrations and stormed over to his mirror to brood.

"Black Star-" Sid began, but was cut off by the frog.

"Get your hands off me!" The frog wriggled out of his grasp and landed on the floor. There was a puff of smoke and the frog was transformed into a young girl. "The indignities I suffer for people." She muttered. The two other witches trembled in their seats at the sight of a real witch and from Shinigami's previous outburst.

"What exactly do you want us to do?" Risa asked. The Shinigami turned and faced the group.

"We'll need a rescue team to enter the book." He held up his hands to stop any objections. "We have a copy of the book here, without the protective spell. With the witches help, we should be able to send a small group into the book to find my son. It would be like walking around the same theme park in different states if you know what I mean. Different rules will apply to the team, but most of all the spell shouldn't be able to touch them."

"Where's the book?" Eruka asked. Before Maka could speak, Black Star stepped forward.

"Spirit checked it out, during the exam Maka misplaced it while cleaning; but she found it today." Maka's confused look met Black Star's silent hint.

"Yes, I found it in the bathroom under some magazines." She handed over the book. "I read a bit of it too, I hope you don't mind papa." Lord Death was the one to take it from her, his gaze lingered on the cover.

"This book has caused more pain than you would want to know." Maka wanted to say something, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see her father watch Shinigami through sympathetic eyes.

"You'll know when you're older." He whispered.


	17. Shadows on the Wall

**AN: School is so hectic right now, I have five finals to study for. Well here is the next chapter. Forgive the shortness of this chapter. ^^' PS- My e-mail has been acting up lately, so I lost half of my reviews. I'm currently using to look back at past reviews. Stupid technology! =.=  
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**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Yeah, it sucks being the bottom rung on the totem pole. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Spoilers? I give no spoilers! It ruins all the fun of cliff hangers. XD Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: I'm glad you like the chapter. And don't worry, Claudia's story was written in subtext. I'm just glad you like the story enough to care. Thank you for reading and reviewing.  
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**B01: My brain is like, so dead right now. But I'm glad you liked the chapter and hope you like the new one. Thank you for reading and reviewing.  
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Giriko watched Gopher from the couch in deep confusion. Not two hours after Gopher's defeat at the hand of Maka Albarn she was up again and went straight to work.

"Doesn't that hurt?" He asked. Gopher glanced at the gaping hole in her side.

"Not much; I've managed to stop the bleeding." She pointed to the sashes tied above and below her injury. "I should be fine as long as I don't make any sudden movements. She gave an insincere smile before moving a box of old candles. Usually Noah would have fixed her by now, but with all the new additions to his collection he had been too busy to start.

"So what, you're just going to wait for it to heal on its own?"

"No." Gopher sighed. "I... I can't 'heal' alright. With small stuff it doesn't matter much, but I'll probably need a skin transfusion." Giriko's brow furrowed.

"So you weren't born in that body?"

"Noah made it for me." Gopher smiled and drifted off in dream land for a bit. Suddenly she shook her head and gave a slight chuckle. "My old body was horrible, I could barely move. So Noah made me a new body so I could live a normal life." She turned to find Giriko scrutinizing her.

"So your body's composed of artificial materials, base elements enchanted to stick to a polymer base material." Gopher stared at him blankly. "Magical rubber." Giriko simplified.

"Not...really?" Gopher frowned. "It's a compound Noah made, like skin. I can feel and move like any normal person."

"But you have no micro filaments or reconstructive proteins." He smirked. "Simple really, I could fix up that hole in your side in my sleep."

"I will not have you tampering with the body Noah made for me. He'll fix it... when he had time." She looked to the side. Of course Noah would fix her, he had to. She was a precious asset. A fighter. He wouldn't simply forget about her now that he had new additions... would he?

"But when will that be?" Giriko asked. Gopher paused in her work. "Do you really want to be walking around with a hole in your side for the next few weeks?" Gopher bit her lip. "If you don't trust me with the detail work, fine. At least let me patch it up to keep the flies out. Then you can wait all the time you want for Noah to fix it."

"...Noah had been busy lately, and if I get it fixed up he won't have to worry about it." She sighed. "I guess. But only a quick patch up!" She reminded. Giriko lead her out of the room with a smirk on his face. He could do miles better than that freak Arachne hired.

-8-0-8-

Crona shuffled to her new home after a recent mission. She paused, surprised to see her mother at the kitchen table, it was, after all, two in the morning. Medusa took a sip of tea.

"Go to bed." She said. Crona nodded numbly and continued to her small bedroom. She flopped onto a pile of curtains in the corner of her room, the pale moonlight shown on the stone floor. She sighed; another person had that skull with them. It bothered her that it looked familiar and yet she couldn't recall where she had first laid eyes on it. She bit her lower lip and struggled to think. Where had she first seen it?

She struggled to remember, there was a brief flash of a man in a mask and a girl here age. Her head pounded, but she had to know. She tried to remember, the girl with blonde pigtails, a curtain of red blood, then blackness. She couldn't bear to remember more, her head ached horribly.

She rolled over and pulled out an object from her pocket. A small, three toothed skull. She ran her thumb over the smooth surface to remove the dried blood. Her brow furrowed as to why she was attached to it. She cringed as her headache began to act up. So she set down the skull and rubbed her temples, it was time to rest. She'd worry about the skull later.

-8-0-8-

"I'M HIDEOUS!" Gopher cried.

"Would you stop complaining." Giriko growled.

"You've completely ruined my body!" Gopher accused.

"So I messed up a little on the pigmentation." Giriko shrugged. "If I recall it was you who wanted a quick patch job." Gopher glared at Giriko before she continued to mourn her 'deformity'. The cut was completely healed and she could move fine. But the color was wrong; a rich tan blotched her pale skin where the cut was previously. Frankly, that was the only problem with it, but the discoloration was permanent. "Just have Noah fix it."

"I can't have Noah-sama see this!" Gopher screeched. "He made this body with his own hands. If he finds out that I tampered with it-" Tears burbled from her deep blue eyes. "I'm sorry Noah-sama!" She wailed, though the man wasn't in the room.

"He's not as fantastic as you make him out to be." Giriko spat. "I wouldn't have messed up if I used the Book of Eibon." Gopher grew quiet at this.

"Don't say things like that." She turned away from him. "No one is allowed to touch that book other than Noah-sama." Justin sauntered in, he looked between Gopher's tear streaked face and Giriko's confused one.

"Hey!" He smiled cheerily. "I was just looking for Gopher, I figured she'd want to know that the shinigami's out again. Noah's yelling at him too, guess Kid did something to irk him." Gopher nodded and whipped the tears from her eyes. She walked out of the room hoping to be cheered up by the prisoner's punishment. Justin smiled at her until he was sure she left the room. "What were you thinking? You can't do stuff like that."

"I didn't try to discolor her skin on purpose if that's what you're getting at." Giriko glowered.

"Well you sure didn't act like it, if I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to get your hands on the Book of Eibon." Justin accused. The Chain saw made no move to acknowledge to other. "YOU WERE!" He shouted. "You may have been able to get away with that in Arachnophobia, but that won't fly here!"

"Why do you care?" Giriko growled.

"Because no one else does!"Justin shouted. He paced the room a bit shocking the other weapon. "You are a guest here, and I didn't bring you here so you could treat Gopher like some twisted Barbie! If you don't shape up you'll regret it."

"Oh? What," Giriko sneered, "you gonna' make me or something? Last I checked you weren't in charge."

"No, but Noah is. And right now, he's busy with his research." The chainsaw's brow furrowed. "So if you want any hope of killing Albarn you will do what Gopher says, because if you don't; she will make your life a living hell." He stopped and gave an angelic smile. "I'm glad we had this talk."

-8-0-8-

Kid grunted as Gopher's fist collided with his stomach. She bit her lip as she did so, irked by his insubordination. Kid merely smirked, it was so easy to get a rise out of her.

"How dare you insult Noah-sama!" Gopher shouted.

"I didn't," Kid chuckled, "I just stated the truth. People like you, who break rules, will be hunted down. You will be executed by the hands of Shibusen for the evil scum you are."

"You have no right to say that!" Gopher quaked. "You don't really know us, you don't know what happened to him." She punched him. "What gives you the right to judge someone you know nothing about?" Kid slumped forward and struggled to gain his breath. "You in your oblivious little world; there are rules to this world that even you don't know, unfair rules. Noah broke those rules long ago and I'm prepared to do the same for him."

"How disgusting," Kid panted, "rules are put in place for a reason; to up hold order. You say I have no right to judge you, yet you turn around and break rules-" She grabbed his throat and pressed her thumb to his larynx.

"Sometimes you have to break rules to protect the ones you love." She said darkly. He sputtered for air and was finally released. When he looked up she glared at him as if he were the lowest life from on the planet. "I hope you rot in that book." She hissed and gave him another swift kick to the gut.

-8-0-8-

"Crona?" Medusa called. The young girl curled up and buried her face in the curtains. "Crona, come here!" Medusa tapped her foot on the busted tile floor. This was one of the more irritating parts of Crona's condition. She had no loyalty to her, no fear either. All the years she had slaved to training her child went to waste. This did mean that her daughter would only remember the recent training, but would still maintain the knowledge from her childhood. A small smile crossed the witch's face. She was so close to her dream. There was just one last obstacle she needed to get out of the way.

"What is it Medusa-san?" Crona asked. The witch's gaze grew cold.

"Is there something you aren't telling me?" She asked. Crona shook her head. At this Medusa sat an object on the table. "Is there something you aren't telling me?" She repeated. Crona's eyes widened at the small skull pin on the table. She thought she had hid it well, but there it was. "Crona." Medusa prompted.

"It's nothing, really." Crona mumbled.

"Crona." Medusa said with force.

"It's nothing!" Crona whined. "Why won't you trust me?" Medusa was taken a back by this.

"Crona you will not speak back to me in such a way." Medusa said. "As long as you are training under me you will live under my rules. Now tell me where this came from."

"I-" Crona began.

"Now." Crona shook, why did this woman scare her so? No it wasn't her specifically, but the idea of her finding the skull. Something told her this... mother of hers, didn't want her to have it. Yet, it seemed, Medusa would be angrier if she didn't explain why it was in her room.

"One of my victims was wearing it." She said, tears brimming in her eyes. "I just thought it looked nice is all. I didn't think it mattered that I had it. It's just a pin." Medusa nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"I understand; had you talked to me first, I might've let you keep it." She stared at her daughter. "But you didn't." She pointed to the pin. "Now, throw it away. In the future, I expect you to discuss things with me ." Crona nodded and held the pin in her hand. She looked once more at her mother, then dumped the pin in the garbage. "I hope you've learned your lesson."

"Yes Medusa-san." Crona sniffled. She turned and walked up stairs unaware of her mother's smile. Medusa nodded to herself; Crona was almost ready.


	18. Khonsu

**AN: Finally, I'm free! I've got a lot of shows to catch up on now that I don't have to study.**

***Review Response***

**Chabeli05: Yep, oh the plans she dares to plan. Muahahaha, thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: ...I don't know, it's just really easy to pick on her. And just wait, there is doodling in this chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**B01: Yep, Medusa's trying to sever her ties with Shishuben. As for Noah's little gang, *sigh* they have some issues they need to work out. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: I do so love character conflicts. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

"This is so stupid!" Gopher chuckled. "I can't believe something like this bothers you." She drew another heart on Kid's face.

"Please stop~" He stuttered. He trembled on the wall and bit his lip to distract him from the ink that was only on one side of his face.

"Hmm, and why should I do that?" She asked as she drew a squiggle on his hand. "This is way more fun than leaving you alone." She kicked him in the left knee. "Besides, you deserve it."

"I'm sorry!" Kid shouted. "Please stop!" Gopher frowned and stopped harassing the boy. He had never apologized before.

"What was that?" Gopher asked. She looked up to see the shinigami rock back and forth as best he could. He muttered apologies in a mantra as he swayed. "Hey." Gopher waved a hand in front of his face with mild concern. She snapped her fingers, but his eyes were out of focus; staring at something beyond her, yet not there. "Stop it... if you're trying to scare me~ it's not working!" He made no move to acknowledge her. "Hey, come on, don't break on me."

Gopher panicked, she had just wanted to punish the shinigami. But if Noah found out she had been playing with his collection, surely he would hold a grudge. She looked around for something to pull the Shinigami out of his trance. She grabbed the bucket of soap water she had planned to clean him with when she was done with her little game and threw the contents on him. Kid snapped out of his trance to see Gopher loom over him, relief flooded her features.

"What on Earth are you doing Gopher?" Noah asked from the door. He looked from the bucket to his vassal to the dripping wet shinigami.

"I was... well... umm..." Gopher stuttered, fear once more possessed her.

"I see," Noah stated. "Obviously I can't trust you to be alone with my collection." Gopher spared a forlorn looked at the book then back to Noah. He opened the Book of Eibon and pulled Kid inside.

-8-0-8-

Eibon bowed to its guests within the . "I'm sorry," it said, "something has come up. I will be back with you in a moment."

"Wait!" Patty shouted, "Where do you think you're going! That little jerk left us to rot!" Soul sighed.

"Then we just have to wait for it to get back." Tsubaki sighed.

"What the hell is that thing anyway!" Kilik shouted.

"It doesn't matter, we'll just have to wait for it to get back, right Maka...Maka?" Soul turned to see his miester sulking on a rock. They had been following the index through the book to find Kid, each chapter they traveled through had embodied a deadly sin. Frankly Maka was sick of it. The index could enter anywhere immediately, but they supposedly couldn't. It was obvious to Maka that the index was stalling, but everyone was too stupid to notice. They were too busy laughing at their gender bent bodies to care about anyone other than themselves. She turned away from the group in silent protest of their behavior.

"Fool!" Exactly.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Black Star shouted, "What are you doing here!" He proceeded to fight with the holy sword, which irritated Maka more. At this rate they'd never find Kid; she hated it, she hated the index, and she loathed the chapter Wrath.

-8-0-8-

A little girl wandered around her empty beach. There was no ocean, no shells, and the sun was black as night. Everywhere its shadow fell the sand had turned a dull gray, tinted red by the sky. As she wandered, she found a patch in the beach where the sand was still a rich tan. She quickly ran and sat down on the warm space which was illuminated by a halo of blue, cloudless sky.

"I don't know how to deal with gray memories." She pouted. She saw a small puddle on the ground and poked the reflective surface. Her reflection rippled and melded into a black and white image. A girl like her, only in gray scale with vibrant purple eyes. The reflection looked at her tiredly. "What are you doing here!?"

"I know you said you didn't need me-"

"When did I say that?" Crona asked. "Who are you? What happened here!" She cried. The reflection cringed.

"I see you still have that spark." She muttered. "Look I need you to listen to-"

"Stop acting like you know me and answer my question!" Crona accused.

"DO YOU WANT TO DIE!" The reflection shouted. Crona stumbled back a bit. Her reflection was in tears.

"W-what?"

"It's a simple question really." It whimpered. "At the rate you're going, you'll die before you turn 100." She looked at Crona with pleading eyes. "It may not seem so bad, but when you consider the average witch lives to be 1035; it's not too far off."

"I-I don't know. I don't see why I should live that long." She looked down and played with the sand absentmindedly. "It's not like anyone cares about me."

"Don't say things like that. There are people; you just can't remember them." Crona looked at her reflection dully.

"If I don't remember them, then they don't exist." She said darkly.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" The water started to evaporate.

"Pass."

"Please change your mind!" The reflection begged, her breath became ragged and weighted. "You need the Kishen's soul if you want to survive~" The water disappeared in the middle of the reflection's plea, all that remained was a half buried, shriveled white rose. She poked it tentatively.

"Oh well," She sighed, "it doesn't matter anyway. No one will notice if I disappear."

-8-0-8-

Kid ripped the other sleeve off his shirt in disgust and wiped of the ink. He took a deep breath and did his best to calm his nerves. Eibon had shoved him in the back most pages of the book with strange urgency. When Kid asked why, the apparition flatly told him he was too busy sorting new information to bother with menial housekeeping. It was because of this that Kid found himself once more suspended in a void of space.

Above him was an endless expanse of cream colored sky. This characterless space surrounded him at all sides. Yet below him a dark shadow swirled and billowed. Maybe there was someone or something down there. He closed his eyes and the shadows rose around him and encase him in the darkness.

"Hello?" He called into the darkness. There was a rough exhale of breath and he could hear something slurp and curdle in front of him. Black mist wafted past him and collected at the base of a massive figure. Its body was a shimmery oil slick that smelled of dried blood on desert sand. Two luminous eyes gazed down at him from a jawless face and fixed on him with a blank stare.

"It has been a long time," It spoke, its voice surrounded him, coming from all angles of the darkness. "since death has ventured to my realm."

"You know me?" Kid asked.

"No," it replied, "but I knew your predecessor fragment of Shinigami."

"Who are you?" Kid asked.

"I have been called many things, Khonsu, the Gen of Marvo, the Dark Age; if I spoke of the eight warlords, would you understand then. Four were eaten by Asura, the remaining were myself, Shinigami, and one other you know."

"You... Khonsu, do you know where Asura is? Shibusen is tracking him now. If you're one of the eight warlords, you must know where he might be, right?"

"You misunderstand fragment, I am not your ally, nor am I your anything. I seek to sustain my own existence, which as I recall, was almost obliterated for the sake of 'balance'. That is what you want, is it not? The power to uphold balance." It's stale breath washed over the younger Shinigami. "Such trivial pursuits will tear apart your soul. You cannot maintain balance and loyalty at the same time. Your father has forgotten this." It paused. The Shinigami had started to scratch at his left shoulder, there was a look in his eyes, one it had not seen in a long time. The look of a trapped man. "Perhaps I can help you. What do you have as payment?"

"Payment?" Kid asked.

"Yes, something in exchange. Someone freed me, I freed them. A young man came looking for a body to transmute a girl's soul into, he gave me his in exchange. What do you have to offer for what you desire?"It pulled at his wavelength. "Is there nothing, nothing you wish to sacrifice? Hmm... but the results would be preferable." It drifted toward him. "I will give you a small token of what you seek."

-8-0-8-

The Book of Eibon flipped its pages and Maka found herself in a new chapter. When in the chapter Envy everyone had been locked into separate rooms to deal with their own wants. Now she sunk into one of the many chairs in the new chapter.

In her room she had seen her friends. Only she guessed they weren't really her friend, just images projected by the book. Each had laughed at her figure, her parents. All of which hurt, but none so much as what 'Soul' had said.

_'Friends? Please, we weren't your friends. You never let us. You try to over compensate for your trust issue by being nice all the time, but you aren't are you. You're a fake, a phony, you just hang around us to make yourself feel better.'_ She had tried to tell him off, prove him that he was wrong. _'You aren't honestly trying to tell me that you __really__ wanted to be friends with me? Kid? Crona? You just were nice to us because you thought were we more sad and pathetic than you. But your wrong, I'm not like them. I'm not so mentally messed up that I can't stand on my own. I'm better than you and you know it.'_ It was here that she managed to break free from the book's spell. But the image of Soul had still smirked like he won. _'You may be Shibusen's protégée, but I don't have to lie to make my friends.'_ Then the page had flipped and left her here.

She could feel the tears well up in her eyes. Normally a fight like that would roll off her back but 'he' was right. Not only that, the others probably thought that about her too. Every time she tried to do something, she ended up failing. Maybe she'd be better off not trying at all.

"I thought I taught you better than that." A shrill voice chided. Maka looked up to see the clown before her in lotus position.

"What do you mean?" Maka asked.

"The world you live in is full of opposites." The clown reminded. "But the real world isn't so simple. You of all people should know there is no black and white. Only varying degrees of gray."

"Go away, I don't want to talk to you."

"Then you must want to listen." The clown smirked. "There is no right and left. There is no stop and start. There-"

"That's not what I meant." Maka spat. "When I said I don't want to talk to you I meant that I don't want you to talk to me either; not for you to continue talking. There's a difference."

"No there isn't." The clown rebutted. "By remaining silent you allow me full range to speak since you refuse to stop me. Thus is the answer, thus is the truth. So tell me, what is the difference between watching injustice and aiding it."

"You're insane." Maka spat.

"With all due respect dear," clown replied, "I'm not the one talking to myself."

-8-0-8-

A cold substance dripped over Kid as the creature past over him. He closed his eyes and saw a burst of light behind his eye lids. _He was dreaming again, of the Grimoire palace. Dusk had settled over the castle, the warm light of the setting sun reflected off the walls with an iridescent glow. He was alone. It was odd, since usually there was a hand full of people on the ground floor at all times. An explosion shook the castle, Iroha ran into the room from the tower stairs. She was more bedraggled then when he last saw her. Eyeliner streaked her face, her lips once rosy and painted were chapped. She was hideously unkempt, but above all she was scared._

_ "What was that?" He asked. Heat radiated from the windows, Iroha guided him to the far wall and kneeled before him. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she rested her hands on his shoulders._

_ "Honey," she said. She looked at him with deranged golden eyes. "there's something you need to know about this world."_

_ "But-" She pressed a finger to his lips._

_ "There are people in this world who are very bad people. They take the lives of innocent witches and they listen~" She choked on her tears, "they listen to a very bad man." He looked away to the window, a glimpse of black flitted in the sky._

_ There was another explosion. This time a chandelier fell from the ceiling, vases jumped from their tables. Iroha slipped a bit, but did her best to hold him up. He could hear screams and shouts from outside the palace. His lower lip trembled._

_ "Mommy I'm scared!" He cried. Iroha glanced nervously to the front door and back to him._

_ "Promise me you won't become one of these people!" She said hurriedly._

_ "Mom-"_

_ "Please just promise me!" She shouted. Another explosion shook the building. She kissed is forehead and stood up. "I have to go." A dull itch in his shoulder pricked at the back of his mind. Iroha turned and ran to the front door. She pushed them open and he saw the grounds were a blaze. She slipped out the doors and closed them behind her._

_ "Mommy don't leave me!" He cried. The itching in his arm prickled, but he ignored it, he was scared and his mother just ran outside where the screaming was. He took a few steps forward and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirrored wall. A little boy in a smartly trimmed, blue uniform. Cheeks sticky with tears, his golden eyes bloodshot from crying. Ebony locks had been messily combed._

_ Not a white hair on his head._

His arm burned, liquid slid off of him and he opened his. A smile twisted up along his face, hardly holding back a twisted laugh.

"My skin is crawling."

**AN: **

**Khonsu: An egyptian god of the moon who had the duel nature of compassion and rage. Khonsu's name has many translation, but it is said that he holds power over evil spirits that attack men through pain, disease, decay, madness and death.  
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**Gen: A creature more commonly referred to as a genie, these creatures are on the same mortal plan as humans; yet legend tells that most can't see humans. Rumored to be the cause of dust storms; sometimes these creatures have been contained and forced to do a mortal's bidding.  
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	19. Power vs Desire

**AN: Last week of school, WOOT! Also going to comic con this weekend, and along with the newest chapter of Soul Eater up; been a productive day.  
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***Review Response***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Yes, Noah's the young man the blob talked about. Glad you liked the progression. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Yes, I'm insinuating that Iroha's Kid's mom. He just hasn't made the connection yet. Iroha knew her son was a shinigami, but she was hoping his powers would remain dormant if she raised him as a normal witch. As you read though, something altered her plans. That's why Kid didn't have the lines of sanzu, he hadn't awakened as a shinigami at that time. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Glad you like it. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**ShareBearTheDeathBear: Yes, the plot is almost at mine now, after this arc my true intentions will reveal themselves. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

"This is the end of the book." The index stated. It turned to the group. "There are no more chapters, if he was in the book we would find him here."

"Woah, woah; that can't be right." Elizabeth objected. "Shinigami-sama said that Kid would be moving towards the center of the book. If we're at the last chapter then we passed him." The index tilted his head.

"Books don't have centers, they have middles."

"What are you talking about?" Patty shouted. "I've stood in the center, at chapter 4."

"No, you have not; you have read chapter four." The index corrected. "Chapters don't have centers, if they did, you wouldn't have been able to advance into the book."

"Well say there was a center." Tsubaki interjected. "If only I had a-" A sketch book and pen popped before her. Tsubaki smiled and grabbed the two. One the paper she drew seven lines and an arrow through them. "You see our passage through the book like so."

"Yes." The index agreed. Tsubaki flipped the page and drew a huge circle, with seven smaller circles inside like a target. "But say each chapter was like this for us. Each ring being a new chapter." She shaded the very center. "How would we get to the dead space here?" The spell thought.

"That would be somewhere in the back most pages I suppose. If it existed, that would be where the old one stays. The only way to get there is by invitation." It tilted his head. "Well this is the chapter Greed, what is it that you desire."

"Hey had anyone seen Maka and Soul?" Black Star asked. The whole group stared at him. "What?"

"They are still in the chapter Sloth." The index stated.

"Okay, thank you." He looked at the others."Jeez, is it a crime to wonder where your friends are?"

"...As I was saying," The index continued, "this chapter is based on want. If you want to find your friend, you should be able to find him from here." They nodded. The index swayed to the side. A hole opened up in the floor of the chapters. Black Star looked into the blackness. If Maka were here, she would probably have already jumped in without hesitation. While Liz cried the index floated about them.

"It appears only one of you is allowed in."

"I'll go." Black Star stated.

"Black Star, no." Tsubaki called.

"No need to worry, I'm the great Black Star, after all... I'll definitely come back." Black Star chuckled. He stepped forward and fell through the hole. "Later! Kid'll do fine as a souvenir, right?"

-8-0-8-

Maka was trapped in the a fierce battle within the chapter of Sloth. No sooner then Soul had found her, they were ambushed. She sliced through Giriko's body with a single swing of her scythe. The jerk had been waiting for her within the chapter and thanks to Soul's noise cancellation, they had caught Giriko off guard and got him while he was down. A light chuckle came from behind her.

"You killed the wrong one." Maka turned and saw a woman with brown hair pulled into a straight ponytail. She revved an internal motor which made a chain run along her leg. Maka took a step backwards.

"But how?"

"Welll, I messed up my body pretty bad tinkering with it. So Gopher lent me her old one. Cost a lot too; I'll be scrubbing the floor for weeks to pay this off." Giriko smirked. "But it will be worth it to watch you bleed." 'She' chuckled and took a step forward 'her' engine revved.

Suddenly an image of the inside of the church flashed in front of his eyes. 'She' shook 'her' head and tried to brush off the brief mental projection of the dusty attic. 'She' grinned again.

"Well, aren't you going to fight?" Giriko sneered. Maka's legs trembled, she was still shaken up from the previous chapter. Soul transformed back into his human form to protect his miester.

"Soul I-" Giriko slammed a razor edged boot into Soul's shoulder.

"Too late," Giriko sneered, "you really should get your head in the game." Maka ran over to Soul.

"No Maka, this is my fight." Soul insisted. Giriko hit him again, Soul blocked the attack with his blade.

"You really think you're on the same level as me and Justin?" 'She' scoffed and slammed 'her' foot into Souls lower back. "You're nothing." Soul slumped onto the floor, he could barely hold himself up. "Pathetic."

"No he's not!" Maka shouted. "He's stronger than you'll ever be." She grabbed Soul's hand."Can you still transform?" Soul turned into a scythe in response.

"Like hell you are! Just looking at you-" Giriko stopped, a lock of 'her' hair swayed in front of 'her'; but it was a deep burgundy and slightly wavy. "What the?" Maka took the chance to hit 'her' with her scythe. Giriko flew backwards into one of the chairs. 'She' snarled. "That was a lucky shot I-" Giriko cringed and gripped 'her' head. Images flashed before 'her'; the church in shambles with blood coating the floor. The only living being was a younger Justin, he trembled at the sight of 'her'. The images flickered to two Shibusen students in the door-way of the chapel. 'She' felt 'herself' charge to the dark hair student, who placed down the book of Eibon and held up his hands in surrender. The scene changed and it was night, the student dragged 'her' away in silence and there was a glimpse of Justin being carted away by other Shibusen members. Strangely when the students reached the woods he let go. _You'll be safe now, go._

Giriko shook 'her' head, 'she' had no time for distractions. 'She' lunged again and went to punch Maka, yet found 'her' arm lay limp at her side. 'She' growled and kicked the miester. 'She' smirked as red painted the floor. At last, 'she' would have her revenge. But the blood brought back another onslaught of images. The body must have retained residual memories from the previous owner. An attic flashed again and the images moved backward. The slaughtered priests doubled back and stood bright and alive. Gopher's old body was rebound onto a gurney. Priests talked to Shinigami-sama through a mirror as they walked backward and pulled at a fragment of a Kishen egg. The images flickered from the soul being implanted and flashed forward to the carnage that occurred afterward. Back and forth the memories went as his gaze drifted to a reflective chair within what he called reality. Staring back at him was 'her' reflection. A disproportionate body with thinning black hair and pupiless navy eyes stared blankly at 'her'. The bandaged limbs, the long thin claws, the awkwardly long legs; this was not the body he thought he borrowed, it was the body of a monster.

-8-0-8-

"Gopher?" Noah frowned, the girl jolted.

"Noah-sama!" She bowed. "Forgive me, you startled me." Noah had caught her in the middle of dusting the lamps in the hall way.

"That little stunt Giriko pulled cost us." Noah stated. The girl hid her smirk under her bangs. Giriko had tried once again to worm his way closer to the Book of Eibon against her wishes, so she punished him in the most humiliating way she knew how.

"Oh? What ever happened, please know I'll do anything to fix it."

"You can't bring back the dead Gopher." Noah sighed. He began to walk off when Gopher called back to him.

"He... died?" That wasn't part of her plan at all. A little humiliation, even a solid beating; but dead? "What happened! How did he die?"

"He stole a body from my study and used it. Naturally he went through a rejection process, then he was stupid enough to fight on top of it. He ended up ripping his soul to shred trying to cling to a dead body. Now its ruined and I don't have time to repair it."

"I'm so sorry Noah-sama, I never meant to kill him. It's just, he tried to use the book so I-"

"You gave him that body?" Noah turned.

"Umm, I... yes." Gopher confessed.

"And how, pray tell, did you manage to give him that body when it was in my study?"

"Well, I... might have taken it. It was mine after all-"

"Not since you've used the one a made for you. Everything in this church, belongs to me. Especially you." He walked off. "Next time think before you kill someone." Gopher sank to the floor.

"That's it?" She whispered. "No punishment?" Tears fell from her cheeks. No, she supposed he didn't care about anything other then his collection. "Why aren't you ever angry at me?"

-8-0-8-

"What do you think of your new power?" Khonsu asked. "The ability to pursue desire without inhibition." A wicked smile spread across Kid's striped lips. "What is your desire?"

"A symmetry beyond symmetry, nothingness." Kid closed his eyes. "In this void there is no good, no evil, no people to judge, no problems to deal with." He chuckled. "There is nothing to tip the balance and thus is perfectly balanced. A perfect world with no one-" He froze. He could feel another wave length, faint yes, but still a blemish in the emptiness. If only he could concentrate.

"Another has appeared in search of power. This is your chance to test your gift." Khonsu stated. Kid ignored the pestiferous wavelength and focused on the task at hand. Black Star rushed past him, the other boy looked up at the shinigami in surprise.

"Kid!" There was a brief smile on his face, but soon he realized something was wrong. "I'm a little late, aren't I?" Black Star stood on air. "Well I'm bringing you back with me, even if I have to drag your ass out of here."

"Like you could do such a thing." Kid kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying. "Someone like you, could never see past you delusions long enough to lay a finger on me." He went to lunge, but was stopped by the ancient.

"You are right, this fight is not a fair one." It held Kid in place and drifted over to Black Star. "What power do you desire?"

"What power?" Black Star reiterated

_"Maka_, _what's wrong?" The young ninja asked. He had just turned six not a few days ago. Now he found his friend, still five sulking on the steps of Shibusen._

_ "Oh; hey Black Star," The little girl sniffled, "nothing's wrong." She whipped away a few tears._

_ "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to." Black Star huffed. "I'm just your friend after all, why should I care?"_

_ "I'm sorry." Maka hung her head. "I just..."_

_ "Come on, tell me." Black Star said, shaking her arm up and down. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"_

_ "O.K., O.K.; stop it!" She pulled her arm back and glared at him. Then she looked back to the city. "I saw papa with another lady."_

_ "So, he's talked to a lot of ladies." Black Star shrugged._

_ "But this time's different! I told mama and she got really mad. She fought with papa for a long time." She sniffled. "Then papa told me to be strong and I think s-something bad is going to happen." She started to cry some more._

_ "No, no don't cry." Black Star flailed. "Uh... you will stop being sad right how!" He posed and wiggled his fingers._

_ "...what are you doing?"_

_ "I'm taking away your sadness." Black Star insisted. Maka whipped her eyes._

_ "You can't do that, you'd have to be a god or something." Black Star thought a moment._

_ "Then I'll become one." He stated._

_ "What." Even at the tender age of five she was realistic._

_ "I will be the bestest, most powerful god ever and I will protect you and you won't have to be sad ever again!" Maka smiled at him and giggled._

"The power I want is power." He smirked, a deranged look in his eyes.


	20. Ultimate Showdown

**AN: Summer's here! I went to comic con this year, got some neat stuff too. This is my first real fight scene, constructive criticism is highly encouraged. Now I have what you've all been waiting for, Justin! Wait, no, you wanted the fight scene, right. Well that comes after him.**

***Review Response***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I'm so mean to them. Originally I had something different planned before his death and then I just went and kept him a jerk. Oh well. I really wanted to give Black Star purpose, other than depression or deep rooted parental issues and what not. Well here we are a non-anticlimactic battle. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Yes, the roll of Kid's desire will come into play many times in the future. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**ShareBearTheDeathBear: Yes, not to mention stupidly impossible. I'm glad you liked Black Star's reason for godliness. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Giriko's death was one of the things I wrestled most within this chapter, mostly when it came to Gopher's role. I really wanted to make her malicious, but not in a way that would over mine the core reason of her anger, which is Noah's attitude towards her. As for Black Star, yes his desire to surpass the gods for Maka's sake will be his down fall. But not necessarily through insanity. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Justin walked into the room to find Gopher on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor.

"Gopher why are you doing that? I thought that was Giriko's job." Gopher stopped cleaning the tile and bit her lip. "Hey, where is Giriko? I haven't seen him all day." Didn't Noah tell him? No, she supposed not.

"Justin, you should probably sit down to hear this." Justin shrugged and pulled up a worn folding chair.

"O.K. What is it?" He paused. "You didn't kick him out over the whole patch-work thing did you? I know he messed up, but I talked with him about it."

"About that..."

"I know he's not Noah, but I thought that he could help you."

"What?"

"Well, Noah... isn't the way he used to be, he's been so busy the past few weeks. I noticed that you weren't getting your annual tune up as annually and then I found him in the wreckage of Arachnophobia. I just figured if you could still find a hieratic like me a suitable ally, you'd be able to help him find his way too. Who knows, with a little practice he could fix up all of those little cuts and scratches so you don't have to stay injured. I'm sure once he has responsibilities he'll shape up and be happier! That is, if you'll let him help you in return." Gopher hung her head, Justin was far too idealistic. It was what pulled him from Shibusen in the first place. His desire for redemption after the horror witnessed wasn't soothed after becoming a death scythe and festered into madness.

"I don't think that's going to happen now."

"If you're still mad at him-"

"No, I'm not really mad at him anymore. That's not the problem. The problem is... well..." She kneeled down in front of him. "He died."

"What?"

"He got injured in the Book of Eibon and before we could pull him out; he bled to death." It wasn't the whole truth, but it was all Justin needed to know.

"No, he can't die. I fought him enough times to know." Justin shook his head. "Can't you do something? Perhaps if we used one of your old vessels as a body-?" Gopher bit her lip and shook her head.

"There's nothing I can do. I can't-" She held him. "I can't bring back the dead." She ran her fingers through his hair and tried to sooth him.

"I-I never was any good at saving people. I just thought that maybe this time, I could finally make a difference. You know, do what I was meant to do..." He closed his eyes in defeat, his clown partner grinning behind him. "It's just not fair."

"No," Gopher agreed, "nothing ever is."

-8-0-8-

"So what's with the get up?" Black Star sneered. "Are you going to cosplay me to death? Well I hate to burst your bubble shinigami boy, but it will take a lot more than guy-liner to defeat me!" He cackled.

"You're making my head hurt." Kid groaned and took his fighting stance. The world around them flooded with water. Only a few pillars stood out in the blackness.

"Too slow Kid." Black Star swung his leg to kick Kid in the side. Kid blocked it and hit Black Star in the shoulder. He reeled back and countered with three more kicks. Kid growled, this disgusting creature was in his way. Worse, they were equally matched. Every attack Kid threw rewarded him with another blow. Kid floated backward in the water. "What's wrong, getting tired?"

"You're wasting my time." Kid glowered. "I have far better things to do then humor a stupid child. This ends now." Kid shifted positions, ready to strike again. The first line of sanzu had connected.

"Oh yeah!" Black Star shouted back. "Well, we'll see who's child is who's... wait, no that didn't-" Kid went to drop kick his opponent. Black Star blocked with his arms. "You stinking shinigami." Kid then punched Black Star in the stomach. He quickly flipped over the ninja and kicked him in the back of the neck.

"Such predictable motions will not help you." He glared at Black Star. "You need to be erased."

"Why, so you can reduce the world to 'nothingness'? And you call me childish. If you destroy everything, you'll only destroy yourself. Then what would be the point; you wouldn't be around to enjoy it. Pathetic." Black Star spat.

"I do not do this because I want to, nor for your approval."

"Then what? What do you gain, 'nothing'?" He snickered at his own joke. _'That kid is Shinigami-sama's son...' 'He's someone we could never compete with.' _ Nobody approached him as it was. What difference did it make if everything was gone, he would remain the same. Nothing ever changed. "Isn't there anything you want?" _'...since we've been working together I thought it was O.K. to call you by your first name-' _Nothing would change. _'Crona had been expelled from Shibusen for suspicious activities.'_ Not unless he did.+

"That doesn't concern you." Kid stated.

"Like hell it doesn't." Black Star shot up and punched Kid in the jaw. "I don't care what's made you decide to destroy everything, but you need to snap out it! Running away from your problems doesn't fix anything." He kneed Kid in the stomach and sent him careening into a pillar. Kid hit, the stone crumbled beneath the impact. He chuckled.

"What better advise to take then you own." The second line of sanzu connected on the shinigami as he recited. "Favilla Memoriola, Intercido Imago; Evoco."

"What the hell-" The water around Black Star became cloudy. As the dirt cleared a woman floated before him. Her face was hidden by a veil that clung to her aqua hair. The silk dress she wore flitted about to revile a star tattoo on the back of her hand. "...mom?"

-8-0-8-

Crona whipped the blood from her face onto her sleeve. Practice was over for the day. She froze.

"Crona, what's wrong?" Ragnarok asked. His miester said nothing. "CRONA!" He growled. On his path to becoming a kishen weapon he had lost some of his more charming human qualities, like patience.

"There's someone else here." Crona stated. Looking around her partner hissed.

"Who? I don't see anything."

"You don't sense that?" Her grip loosened on her sword. She looked to her draconian partner in confusion.

"Sense what? All I can sense is how hungry I am." To prove his point, he tugged on her hair.

"Another wave length; it's cold and dark."

"Well, is it threatening?" Ragnarok grumped. Crona shook her head. "Is it anywhere near us?" She closed her eyes.

"No... it's far," She concluded, "very far away."

"GREAT! Then it has nothing to do with us." Ragnarok cheered. "Let's go home."

"But-"

"Home." Ragnarok pointed in the direction they needed to go. Crona sighed and spread her wings, it was no use arguing with her partner. But the fact she could sense a wavelength still bothered her. Especially since Medusa said that it would take an extra effort to sense wavelengths through her madness.

-8-0-8-

Surround by the liquid darkness, the woman reached towards Black star. "You've grown so much." He arms wrapped around him. She was so cold, almost intangible. All he knew about her was pieced together from what Sid had divulged to him. "It's a shame I missed so much." She dug her nails into his shoulders. "My poor baby, left all alone." She sobbed, her tears a brilliant red. Something wasn't right. "Let me take you home!" She hissed. This couldn't be his mother, she had died a long time ago. The apparition pulled down into the darkness, but he fought back. It was persistent, every moment it became more detailed. Finally he struck the copy. It's veil drooped and looked at him with teary, blue eyes. "Why?" Her hands clawed towards him again. He cringed and snapped the image's neck. It evaporated into a cloud of dust.

"That was a dirty trick Kid." He called to the darkness. there was no response, no Kid. All was quiet.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Something was coming. He turned and behind him a cluster of skulls on shadowed strings were poised to strike. He pushed against a nearby pillar and glided backwards. The skulls retracted back to Kid.

"You were really bothered by that." He mused. His response was an indignant snarl from Black Star. "Then I consider my spell a success." Black Star went to kick the shinigami, but was blocked by the Shadow Skull. It latched onto his leg; sharp teeth slipped through his skin. The skull tugged him toward Kid with jagged movements. Finally Black Star ripped the skull from its dark puppeteer. While it was enough to make the skull go limp, it didn't stop three others from attacking. He kicked one into the other and dodged the last. Four more poised to strike like snakes. Short range combat was no use. He pushed himself backwards to gain distance. In that time Kid summoned another four exactly like the first. "Shadow Skull Arms." the skull's jaws unhinged and all eight lunged in to tear at Black Star. He had to counter fast.

"NOVA BARRAGE!" He struck and expected a regular Soul Menace to repel the skulls. A white light blasted from his palm and tore the shadows to shreds. Three waves then pulsated. The first froze Kid on the spot. The second sent him through a pillar and pinned him to the next. The last was shaped like a star. When it reached Kid it constricted, then exploded. The blast was enough to separate Kid from Khonsu's hold, perhaps it had worked too well.

The shinigami was out cold. His form slowly began to sink further into the darkness. A wispy trail of blood left behind.

"Oh no you don't." Black Star hissed. "I didn't get my leg munched on just to lose you now." He grabbed a hold of Kid's arm. "Hey you, dark blob thingy; let us out!" Khonsu collected its body to stare at the victor.

"If that is what you wish." A liquid hand rose and cut through the darkness. Black Star slung his friend over his shoulder and exited through the rip. "So power has overcome desire," it pondered, "but for how long?"

-8-0-8-

Crona paused in the doorway to her room. Her mother gave her a quizzical look.

"Crona?" Medusa called from the kitchen. "Is everything all right?" The dark miester shook herself back to reality.

"Yes mother, I'm just a little tired is all."

"Well go to bed then." The witch sighed. "You have more practice in the morning." Crona nodded and laid on the pile of curtains.

"Yes, everything's fine." She whispered. The wavelength had vanished. Which meant everything was normal once again. So why was it that she felt so... lonely in its absence?

-8-0-8-

Black Star shuffled out of the tear in the book and dumped Kid on the ground. With the normal laws of gravity back, his leg was screaming in pain. His friends jolted at his sudden arrival. None more so then Maka.

"Oh my god." Maka whispered.

"Hey Maka, did ya bring my halo?" He chuckled weakly. She brushed past him and rushed to Kid's side; with no notice of the madness that still coiled around Black Star.

"Kid? Come on, wake up." She tilted his head. "Oh no- He's bleeding internally. Liz!" The gun gently felt the shinigami's torso.

"He's fractured a couple ribs, if we can just get them in place before the last line disconnects he should be fine." She pushed the rib into place. Kid groaned in pain. "What happened to you?" Maka stood from the slowly growing crowd and faced Black Star.

"Yeah, what did happen to him?" She crossed her arms.

"He went a little whack down there." He shrugged. "What does it matter; I brought him back. I won."

"So what; he wasn't acting like himself so you beat the crap out of him?" Maka demanded.

"Well that's putting it a little blunt." Black Star shrugged. "Maka, what's wrong. You make it sound like a bad thing." Maka stared at him in disbelief.

"It is a bad thing." She insisted. "You could have killed him."

"Please, what kind of god would I be if I didn't show restraint." Black Star held her hand. "You knew this day would come. Granted, not under the most ideal circumstances-" A sharp pain surged through his cheek. He stood, shocked that Maka would slap him.

"I can't believe you!" Maka shouted. "For once could you think about someone other than yourself! This isn't about you, it's about Kid. Who, if you haven't noticed, is bleeding internally because you decide to go on another rampage!" She threw her hands in the air. "This was a rescue mission after all. What were you thinking?" Her harsh words pulled Black Star back to lucidity. The stars in his eyes had faded back to black pupils.

"Maka I-" Black Star began.

"You know what, no, I don't want to hear it." She turned to go check upon Kid. Black Star was at a loss. Tsubaki came up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you didn't mean those things." She said. "I'm sure everyone else does too." He rested his head on her shoulder.

"Tsubaki, I did it right?" He murmured. "I've finally overcome a god." He watched as Maka tended to Kid. "...so why does it feel like I've lost?"


	21. Battle of Eibon Part 1

**AN: The first review response will most likely never be read by the anon reviewer. But I had to write a response to it, otherwise it would have driven me nuts and is potentially a flame in disguise... I eat flames for breakfast o\ ^ /o (- Gopher face high ya!)**

**Angie: Crona technically has no gender, in the original Japanese recording of the anime Crona uses gender neutral pronouns that don't translate into English real well. The author of the manga (which came first and is much longer then the anime) has even posted that he never really gave Crona a gender (And it doesn't look like he will). Because of this Crona's gender is widely disputed by the fans. I believe Crona is a girl, due to her feminine actions in the manga. If you don't that's fine. But please keep in mind the most important thing about reading fanfic with Crona in it, is read the summary of the story in its entirety. Many authors, such as myself, have posted what gender Crona is at the bottom of the summary as well as the story's pairing (Mine says: Kid/Female!Crona) If you forego your opinion to read the rest of the story, please know that Gopher's gender has similar issues with some of the fans and is a girl in this story. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**themaskdmeister13: There's a lot to catch up on, feel free to ask if anything confuses you. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: I'm glad you liked it. Writing fight scenes for me is like pulling teeth, but I need the practice. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I'm so mean to Black Star, I need to stop. The boy deserves a chance to find happiness without a slap in the face. And yes, Kid can use magic. Question is, will he choose to in the future. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: He was a little nuts, there will be time for brotherly reconciliation later. Right now, more fighting! To answer your question; yes, it was Kid who was thinking of Crona. From what I've seen of the show and manga, I believe she does. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Deidara4ever: That's O.K., I understand; we all have lives outside of fanfic. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Kid sat up and observed his surroundings. Gold fell from the sky like rain. His friends crowded around him. He sat up slowly despite the protests of his friends. Black Star's gaze met his; neither said anything, but Kid nodded in silent thanks. They'd talk later.

"Are we still in the book?" His friends nodded.

"You were injured so we didn't want to move you." Liz supplied.

"How are you feeling?" Patty asked.

"Fine now," Kid got off the ground. "So, how are we going to get out?" His friends didn't answer. "You do have a way out, right?"

"We didn't think that far ahead." Tsubaki said sheepishly.

"WHAT!" Kid ranted. "How can you plan a mission without exhausting all possible outcomes! There are specific steps to planning and one of them is to do so thoroughly. Is that how you make it to school on time? Not planning ahead? I always make sure to leave the house completely clean-" He looked at Liz and Patty. "The house is a disaster isn't it?"

"Yep, he's feeling better." Liz sighed with a smile. There was a small cough. The group, now alerted to the Index's presence, made room for it to enter the middle of the crowd.

"Since you're all here, I might be of assistance." It addressed. "Noah's opened the book a few times now. Should he open it again soon, I could push you out. That is, if you'll let me."

"Why couldn't you do that to begin with?" Kilik asked.

"I can only move the contents of the book. Were I to do as you suggested, only the Shinigami would leave and the rest of you would be trapped. However, if you willingly add yourself to the book's contents, I could let you leave." Maka nodded.

"I don't see why not; is that alright with everyone?" The group nodded.

"So it is done." A hole opened up in the floor of the chapter. The group fell through and the hole sealed up. Eibon swayed. "I hope you don't mind that I kept your copy of the book as collateral." Magic symbols surrounded it as a dim view of the witches in Shibusen appeared before it. "As soon as I decode this algorithm you won't be able to access my realm again."

-8-0-8-

The group fell to the ground in a heap. They moaned in discomfort and untangled themselves from each other. A low growl emanated from before them. They looked up to see a fierce, blind lion. Torn wings fanned out and the beast roared. The ground was littered with the fallen and injured.

"This enemy is too strong," Marie wheezed, "run." Maka's eyes widened.

"Sensei!" Maka shouted. Three gigantic fanged leaches arched up into the sky, their teachers held within the specter's grasp.

"Who's doing this?" Kid growled. The manticore charged its spiked tale poised to shoot poisonous spines. Black Star drove its head into the ground with an elbow. Followed by Kid who broke the tail with his heel. A gold seal on the beast evaporated and the manticore rapidly began to age until all that was left was dust.

"I see you've defeated my manticore." Kid turned to see Noah.

"Liz! Patty" The guns transformed and fell into Kid's hands. An electric shock surged around him. He immediately dropped his partners.

"Kid, what's wrong?" Liz called. The shinigami looked at his hands.

"I can't do it, I can't use my weapons." He stated in shock.

"His wavelength is still weak," Maka realized, "he still hasn't fully recovered from the book!"

"Kid , can you still fight?" Black Star asked. The shinigami smirked.

"I'm not going to let a little set back stop us." He looked to his partners. "Will you be all right on your own?"

"Yep!" Patty giggled. "Let's kick some creeper butt!" Noah chuckled.

"Not before I reclaim what's mine. All of it. The lands, the ocean; every living soul, with their hopes and dreams, belongs to me. I will be the one who controls the creation of new life and only I am fit to cast judgment on the world!"

"You disgust me," Kid glowered, "is that all you care about? Forcing the world to see your views? Something like you had no place in the world." He lunged.

"Noah-sama!" Gopher shouted. She kicked the shinigami out of the way. Black Star used Gopher's distraction to his advantage, he drew Tsubaki and dashed to Noah. The book opened and a girl stood before him dripping in water. She opened her lips and powerful notes began to force the ninja backwards. Kilik jumped to get an aerial attack in, but was blocked by swarm gremlins while Kid came to his feet.

"Don't you dare move," Gopher spat, "your fight is with me."

"Out of my way!" Kid shouted. He jumped and swung his leg towards Gopher. She blocked with her right arm.

"Not until you call off Shibusen's assault." She punched him in the stomach with her left. "I know you can, so why don't you just leave?" Kid paused.

"You'd let us go?" He prodded.

"You think I wanted you here? Any of you?" Gopher hissed.

"That didn't answer my question." He frowned and went to punch her. She jumped and extended her soul wings.

"Daedalus' Feathers." She proclaimed. Black feathers shot down from her wings and pinned Kid to the ground. Her eyes grew dark. "I hate his collection."

"If that's true, then why are you helping him?" Kid snarled.

"He wasn't always like this." Gopher professed. "He's the kindest, most understanding person I know. It's just lately Noah-sama's been suffering. I know he feels empty inside, and that he collects things to fill that void. But it won't make him whole again. That's why I try, you stupid shinigami; to help him. And I would have if you hadn't shown up and ruined everything!" Tears fell as she prepared to strike. "But I won't let Shibusen destroy my happy ending." Her wings receded. The vassal began to fall at an increasing rate towards Kid. She was about to hit the boy when a voice called out to her.

"Gopher, don't you lay a finger on him." Noah scolded. Gopher's wings spread and she landed gracefully next to the shinigami. Her tears held back by the adrenaline of battle.

"You really don't know how lucky you are." Kid swung his leg underneath her, throwing her to the ground. With a swift movement he used her own feathered projectiles to pin her down. As quickly as he could he ran to go aid his companions.

-8-0-8-

Justin watched as the gremlins fell, shriveled and dried next to the skeleton of the siren. It wasn't working this time. No madder how many people he hurt; he felt no pride, no wrath, no sin whatsoever. Had he really fallen so far that he could no longer feel guilt towards his actions? He glanced to see Gopher in tears again, the blood of Shibusen around them like so many years ago.

"I promised to save you," he muttered, "all of you; the same way you tried to save me, I just didn't know how." She had been like a feral child then, a beast trapped in a frail body. Now she had been tamed, but still she had to kill. She had fallen from the girl he met the second time. "No madder how many second chances I get, I keep failing." He turned and left. "And I'm too tainted to try anymore."

-8-0-8-

"Ultros!" Noah called. Five squid like appendages shot out of the book. At the end of each, a fox head snapped for prey. A head lunged for Black Star, Kilik blasted the head with a stream of fire.

"Come on Black Star," Kilik shouted, "don't give up on me now." Black Star cut off the head of another.

"Like I'd do something like that." Black Star smirked. The two teamed up on the beast. Kilik would distract a head and Black Star would cut it off. At last every head had been severed and the beast lay still. The two turned to Noah. But the man merely smirked and pointed behind them. The beast had regenerated. Each tentacle now sported two ferocious heads.

"The seal!" Maka shouted. "Destroy the seal!" Kilik dodged an assault from two heads.

"I don't see it!" He called. Black Star grinded his teeth.

"We don't have time for this!" Black Star growled. "INFINITY BLADE!"

"You idiot!" Soul shouted. "Don't keep cutting it!" Black Star's sword sliced through the beast, it fell into irregular cubes. The ninja spotted a shimmer of gold in the pile. "Kilik, on the heart!"

"Got it!" As the beast began to reform, Kilik hit the heart with a blast of electricity. It calcified and crumbled to bits. The beast hardened and fell into a pile of rubble.

"You don't think I'm done, do you?" Noah sneered. Amongst the confusion, Kid pulled free from the spiritual feathers that had pinned him. He swung his leg to knock Gopher off balance. When she fell he quickly pinned her right leg with one of her feathers. He looked up to see a three headed dragon. Its back covered in the tombs of other warriors. "Say hello to my Hora Dragon."


	22. Battle of Eibon Part 2

**AN: Finally the plot can progress! Sorry about being tardy, I got caught up cleaning the house yesterday. So without further delay, the next chapter. This is a direct continuation of the scene from the previous chapter.  
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***Review Responce***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Well, he is a priest to a certain extent. I don't want to get to into the why since it will spoil the story. The Hora Dragon is the translation of a beast Noah summoned in the manga, Ohkubo's is different from mine. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Yeah, Kid's almost recovered; yay! And we've also got Liz and Patty fighting in this chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: I'm glad you thought so, this part of the story is hard for me to write. Once we get all the big bad monsters out of the way we can get back to the romance! Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

The middle head of the beast snorted a small jet of fire. The earth disturbed by its summoning, threw dust into the air which merely drifted about its ankles. The other heads were quite different; on the left a serpentine head covered in sleek grey scales, on the right a head whose necrotic flesh threatened to show bone in several places. It lurched forward, encumbered by the weight of a grave yard on its back. The size of which, would be equivalent to a ballroom, was inhabited by thirty or so decrepit graves. A single tail swished back and forth, knocking down the surrounding trees. The third head struck first and snapped up a fallen miester. It roared through the flesh and swallowed with a sickening squelch.

"Any bright ideas?" Liz squeaked. The huge dragon began to pick up speed.

"Beat it until it stops moving?" Kilik suggested. Though he too was intimidated by the creature.

"That's it?" She shot back.

"It's about all we have time for at the moment." Kilik shouted

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Black Star smirked. He dashed toward the middle head. It snarled and opened its mouth which could have easily held the ninja inside. It clicked its tongue, causing a spark in its throat. A stream of fire was spat toward him, but he jumped and sliced at the scratch on the dragon's face. It growled and nipped in his direction, but the ninja was too fast. He landed on the dry ground and snorted. This dragon was tougher then it looked, not that he'd admit it.

Kilik wasn't having any better luck with the serpentine head. His thunder wave would only stun it briefly. It was definitely the most agile of the three. Kilik thought a bit. This head moved like a snake, perhaps it thought like one too. He stood as still as possible. The head paused, then extended its head tentatively. A long slimy tongue and tasted the air, smelling for its foe. When it found him it hissed, however, it never got the chance to attack. The moment it got close enough he shot a torrent of fire toward the head. Flesh sizzling, the head recoiled.

"Woo!" Kilik shouted. "Take that you over grown snake!"

Gun shots echoed as Liz desperately tried to stop the third head. The upside was it was completely blind. In the heat of battle all of the sounds and smells seemed to meld together to the head. However...

"Eww!" A long trail of rancid saliva fell from the beast's jaw and onto the blonde gun. "I've been slimed!" She groaned.

"Look sis, he doesn't even see us!" Patty giggled. Liz was still standing under the dragon's head. She raised the gun over her head and fired three shots into the dragon's head. Maka clutched Soul's hand, reading him for a transformation. Someone had to rescue the captured teachers, and she was the only one mobile at the moment.

"They won't be able to stop it until they destroy Claudia's symbol." She sighed. Kid looked to his friend.

"Claudia, who's Claudia?" Kid frowned.

"What? Oh, she was a witch who gathered information for the Book of Eibon. I'm just guessing, but its probably her magic that's keeping those things alive." She gestured to the dragon. "But look at it, we'd never be able to find it." Kid was about to press harder, but Maka was right. The dragon wasn't affected by the attacks.

"Guys, I think we have a problem!" Kilik shouted. The burnt skin on the dragon's face cooled and peeled to reveal a fresh layer of scales. The middle head no longer had a scratch and the last head was still fully functional.

At this rate Kid's friends were doomed. If Noah took control the whole world would be set ablaze. All that was perfect world; one with nothing in it? He watched as his friends fight while their teachers could do nothing to help. No, the world wouldn't be perfect, and he wanted to be the one to protect them. So why was he standing here?

"Liz! Patty!" He called. His weapon looked at him, confused.

"Kid are you crazy? You remember what happened last time!"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Kid stated. "Maka's right, we don't have time to find a weak spot. We'll have to do this with brute strength."

"Just don't hurt yourself, O.K. Kid?" Patty pouted.

"I promise, now come on." The guns transformed and Kid grabbed hold of them. There was a tiny zap, like a static shock; but it vanished just as quickly. "Everyone I'm going to need you to distract the heads for a bit longer. Maka, do you think you can handle the last one." The pig-tailed miester nodded.

"Don't be deceived by these bruises, there's still fight in me yet!" She chuckled. "Soul!" The scythe transformed and Maka left Kid to his devices.

"Liz, Patty; Soul Resonance." Kid focused and allowed two of his lines to connect. "Execution Mode: Father's Seven Lights." Five launchers appeared behind him. They clicked open as Kid pointed his pistols to the sky. He fired and the five launchers behind him fired as well. Seven beams of light shot up and pierced the dragon. The symbol in the graveyard disintegrated and the dragon fell into a skeletal heap. It's path undeterred, it continued to head for Noah.

"A soul burst..." Gopher murmured in horror. She went to run to him, but promptly fell on her face. She looked to see her one of her feathers pinned her to the ground. "No, please no. NOAH GET OUT OF THE WAY!" But he didn't. He stood entranced by the light, opened his arms, and a smile spread across his face. He could feel it, and this feeling was his.

When the light hit him, there was a huge explosion. It was brilliant and when the dust settled there was no evidence Noah had ever stood there. All that was left was the book.

-8-0-8-

The index had watched the whole thing transpire. It sighed, the only victory had been in the destruction of Shibusen's copy of the book. A thin piece of paper floated down before him and spontaneously began to burn until all that was left was a tiny fragment of a soul. It began to float down toward the darkness to its owner, but was stopped by Eibon.

"Oh no you don't!" He hissed. "I'm not done with you yet." He bottled the fragment and slapped a few seals on it. "You'll have to sleep a little longer." He sighed. "So Greed has been conquered; and he was such a loyal vassal too. I'm afraid without a body, my options are still limited."

-8-0-8-

"No, he can't~" Gopher stuttered she pulled at the feather and ran toward the book.

"Hey, this book looks like-" Maka began.

"Don't you touch it!" Gopher shouted. She snatched up the book and held it tight. "This book is Noah-sama's, it always will be." She felt her knees grow weak underneath her. "You monsters, I'll never forgive you for what you've done!" Black Star groaned.

"Looks like we have one more nut to crack." He sighed. Gopher looked up at them and Kid froze. At that moment, on the verge of tears, she looked like Crona had when she had been banished. So hurt and betrayed, surrounded by the skeletons that had once been her dream_. 'You really don't know how lucky you are.'_ He held an arm out before Black Star. The ninja frowned. "What are you-"

"We have already done enough." Kid stated. "As wounded as we are, we would only end up destroying each other." Kilik sighed.

"Kid has a point," he agreed, "we got what we came here for, let's get out." There was a murmur of agreement and the miesters turned to collect their teachers who were now free from the leaches' grasp. One by one they began to leave, until only Kid lingered behind. He watched as Gopher entered the church, the book still clutched tightly in her arms.

"Noah, you idiot." She sobbed. "Why didn't you run when I told you?" Kid felt sympathetic toward the girl. Even if she was a horrible, mean spirited person; it didn't mean she had no feelings. He sighed and returned to the group.

-8-0-8-

"Kid!" His father called from the room. "Thank goodness you're alright." Kid nodded.

"Yes, I am fine."

"Not only that but you've even connected two of the lines of sanzu. I'm so proud!" Shinigami chimed. His bliss clouded over Spirit's anxious look. "Your friends told me you were kidnapped by a strange man, he didn't do anything to you, did he? If he touched your-"

"FATHER!" Kid objected, then froze. "No, now that I think about it, he didn't. It didn't seem like he was going to anything actually. The only time he paid me any mind was when his servant was caught harassing me. It was like there was no substance or depth to his soul, just a hollow shell."

"And what happened to his servant?"

"She ran off, somewhere to the East. The others wanted to chase after her, but we were too battle worn to put up a good fight. Without her idol, I doubt she'll be much of a threat. It was really Noah who was behind the assault on the staff."

"He did seem peculiar, like a personification of one of the chapters." Shinigami-sama muttered.

"Father, do you know something?"

"Nope, not a clue. These sort of things were never my specialty." He shrugged.

"...father." Kid tried, slightly baffled by his father's bluntness.

"You should go home and rest, I'm sure it will be nice to be in your own room." He chuckled and waved his son goodbye.

"Now where have I heard that?" Spirit said darkly.

"And what are you implying by that?"

"Nothing," He sighed, "I just know how your mind works. We shouldn't rush things." The shinigami turned from his scythe. "We both know that the lines normally wouldn't be connecting this fast. His powers are maturing faster than he is."

"My child deserves a chance at happiness." Shinigami remarked.

"I understand that, but I think it would be better from Maka if we at least wait until after the Kishen nonsense is over with." Spirit suggested. "She isn't ready for this."

"You lost your right to decide Maka's future, Yumi made that quite clear." Shinigami said. "And you have never been allowed to choose my son's either!" The words stung the Death Scythe. He gave a dry chuckle.

"And yet I've raised them both." He hissed. "If you recall I was the one that took care of him while you pulled your head out of your ass." The shinigami whipped around in anger, but withheld himself and sighed.

"I'm sorry Spirit, it's just- I don't know if we'll ever be able to fix this mess." He trembled. "I almost lost my son today because of it and if the next time he runs off to save the world and he... doesn't make it~" He shook his head. "I want my son to have the chance at something I cheated myself out of." He felt Spirit's hand rest on his shoulder.

"We all want what's best for our kids," He sighed, "especially if it prevents them from repeating past mistakes."

"Then you'll support my decision." Shigami asked. The Death Scythe sighed.

"I don't agree with it," he admitted, "but I'll be there from my little girl."


	23. Dangerous Minds

**AN: Sorry this was so late, I had packing I had to take care of. Which reminds me, I will be going on a short hiatus after this chapter. Rest assured that I won't stop writing, but during my trip I will be away from a computer so I won't be able to update. Thank you for your patience and enjoy the chapter.**

***Review Responses***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Yep you got it, not in this chapter though. It's time for some other characters to stand in the spot light. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Behold, Crona is in this chapter... quite a bit actually. I had to make up for her absence you know. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: You didn't miss anything. The conversation was supposed to be cryptic and foreshadowing future events. I'm sorry that I confused you, but all will be explained in the 24th or 25th chapter. It depends on how things play out from here. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

** : I highly suggest reading the manga on mangahere or mangareader. It will fill some gaps in the story (or create some when it comes to the Salvage story arch). As for how chapter 21 and 22 connect. The end scene of 21 is continued in 22 (Noah says 'Say hello to my Hora-Dragon' and it is described in the next chapter). The scene was too long to post in the same chapter, I apologize for not making the two scenes flow together more. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

When Kid left the room he was surprised to find Black Star waiting for him. The bandaged ninja was studying the floor when Kid had entered. After the initial shock, he resumed his visual analysis of the floor.

"Umm...hey." He mumbled.

"Hey." Kid replied. "Are you here to talk to my father too?"

"Hunh? No." Black Star answered. He looked up and then away. "I got my mission a bit ago, some string of murders."

"Oh, O.K. then." A pregnant pause fell over the two.

"So," Black Star began, a tad louder than he expected. "Uhh... Maka wanted me to apologize to you, for; you know... yeah." He coughed.

"It's O.K." Kid held up his hands. "I wouldn't have left otherwise. Besides, we both weren't exactly thinking properly." There was another odd silence. "That Nova Barrage was pretty cool though."

"Yeah, I haven' been able to use it since." He admitted. "It must have been a heat of the moment thing. I was pretty shaken up by then due to that illusion. I didn't know shinigami could produce images of the dead before." Kid's brow furrowed.

"Shinigami can't do that." He frowned.

"Then how-" Black Star was cut off by his partner's approach.

"There you are!" She called. "We were supposed to leave an hour ago. What are you doing here?"

"Just apologizing to Kid for earlier." Black Star supplied.

"Oh, alright, but we really have to get going." Tsubaki suggested. Black Star nodded and followed his partner. But not before looking back at Kid suspiciously.

-8-0-8-

"We took care of Noah and now we're right back where we started." Black Star huffed. "Wandering around hoping we find someone. Seriously, why didn't they send a human radar like Maka instead?"

"Well Medusa uses Soul Protection, so someone who could track her without the use of Soul Perception would be preferable." Tsubaki explained. Her partner ignored her in favor of his own rant.

"I mean; I was in the middle of something important when this came up." He sighed. He paused, at war as to whether he would tell his partner his suspicion. Either way he needed her advice. "Tsubaki..." He stopped short.

"What, what is it?" She asked.

"Those footsteps... Crona's here." He turned to the steps of a crumbling city ruin. The pink haired miester slowly shuffled toward the ninja.

"Look Ragnarok," she said, "there's a ninja here. I didn't know they had ninjas in New Orleans." Her weapon chuckled. "What, what's so funny?" She paused. "O.K. Medusa, I'll use it." From below her feet a red liquid burbled, forna brief moment there was a Cheshire grin on the liquid's surface. It coiled around her and solidified into a twisted armor. She looked up at Black Star, an equally twisted smile on her face.

"Hey, what's with that look?" He shouted. Ragnarok's arms pealed out of her back, each hand held a sword. In Crona's hand, a long serrated blade gleamed menacingly. "Oh, so that's it? Three swords? I have three blades of my own."

"Black Star, what are you talking about?" Tsubaki asked.

"You, my Soul Menance, and the once weapon that every man holds dearest." With this he posed with his pelvis thrust.

"Black Star, how can you wonder why people don't take you seriously when you do things like this?" Tsubaki sighed. Their opponent stared at them blankly.

"Scream Resonance." Crona uttered. An all too familiar scream echoed through the ruins as Crona advanced. All three swords were drawn and at full swing. But Black Star didn't move. "Screech Beta!" She sliced the air before her. It sent a torrent of Black Blood particle into a huge blade that raged forward toward the assassin; who stepped aside.

"That's the best you can do? Please." Then Black Star began to shout over the demon sword and threw Crona off guard with a punch in the face. Hurtling backwards, Crona hit the far wall. "Why are you attacking us? Do you know what Maka would say if she found out you were acting like this? She cried so much because you left." Crona's brow furrowed.

"Whose Maka?"

-8-0-8-

Kid once again found himself drawn into the back of the library. He attributed the whole thing to habit, as he was a creature of repetition. But that didn't stop the bittersweet deja vu that washed over him. It was here Crona had divulged what little information she knew, a bedtime story. He chuckled at the memory; how did it go? _"Once upon a time there were two young witches who were very curious about the world around them. They worked very hard to gather as much knowledge about magic as possible. Now this reminded them of their own mortality. The two didn't want the knowledge they gathered to disappear. So they took a book and filled it with the knowledge they had gathered." _ A book of knowledge, sort of like the Book of Eibon. He froze. The book was called Eibon! When she told him the story, he had blown it off as nonsense. But if what Maka said was true, it could be that the legend was real. He struggled to remember the description of the witches. _"The older witch gathered knowledge about enchantments, familiars, and pure witch craft."_ Like the magic tools. So if Eibon was the older witch, then the second. He stopped.

He knew nothing of Claudia. For all he knew, she could have been a nut like Noah. And none of the books he read mentioned here at all. Unless he missed something. A light knock on the bookshelf pulled him from his thoughts.

"Kid, is that you?"

-8-0-8-

"What are you talking about?" Crona frowned. "I don't know how you know me, or why you care. Why do you care? When I left, no one cared, they were angry. Angry at me, at what I had done. But I had to do it, I just had to. Because I wasn't important." She clenched her sword. "Don't you get it! I'm not important, that's why no one is waiting for me! So who's this Maka anyway!" The miester's soul swelled; or more accurately, Ragnarok's soul swelled, feasting on her anger.

"Great; first Kid now you." Black Star groaned. He was surprised at how violently she reacted to his comment.

"Screech Alpha!" She screamed. Her attack was meant to be a finishing blow. "Shut up! Stop lying to my face like that! The one thing I hate more than fear is lies." Black Star took this as an opportunity to rebuttal.

"Tsubaki; Shadow Star." He shouted. The weapon obliged and formed a giant shuriken. He used the new form to slice through Crona's attack. He then used the star to amplify his Soul Menace. Crona once again was sent backwards by his attack.

"Crona, you're wrong." Tsubaki professed. "Everyone's been worried about you. You don't have to fight us."

"I thought I told you to shut up!" How dare they mock her. These ideas that someone was out there, that someone cared had been haunting her like a lost dream. Real, yet intangible, and she couldn't remember why she felt the way she did. Now here were two people who claimed to be that someone, it was too good to be true. Then there was the fact that they had tried to hurt her; Medusa was right. "I don't know who told you about me, but they were wrong. I know who I am and that's all that matters." Crona went to advance, but froze. Bits of her armor had fractured where the Soul Menace had hit. "How?" Another opening, Black Star sighed.

"Maka's probably gonna' slap me for this, but I can't leave Crona here." He was about to strike when something hit his arm. "What the-" A girl, about five, in a mouse costume.

"I missed." She clicked. Two others honed in from his right.

"We got this Crona!" One squeaked. "Leave!"

"You need to go see Lady Medusa!" The other reminded. Spreading her wings, Crona weakly nodded and took off while Black Star was distracted. She was sure to be in for a long lecture.

-8-0-8-

Kid jolted at the sudden intrusion. Hardly anyone came this far back into the library due to the poor lighting. It took him a moment to recognize the voice.

"Maka, you startled me."

"I startled you?" She chuckled. "I'm not the one hunkered down in the darkest corner of the library." He face fell. "Is everything alright?" Kid let out a frustrated sigh.

"I already told you Maka, this has nothing-"

"No, I know. I wasn't talking about that." She recoiled. "I meant is everything O.K. between you and your dad?" Kid felt like a deer in headlights.

"Hunh?"

"He didn't say anything strange to you?" Maka pressed. "Maybe acted a little out of the ordinary?"

"Maka, my father is far from ordinary." Kid sighed. "Why, what made you think that?" Maka thought back to the bizarre conversation she had with her father earlier. She had just finished up with Nygus in the infirmary to treat her wounds when he approached.

_"Maka, do you have a moment?" Spirit asked. Maka looked down the hall for an escape. But there wasn't anyone who could have helped her._

_ "Sure." She relinquished. The two walked down the hall._

_ "You aren't seriously injured are you?" Spirit asked._

_ "No, I'm fine."_

_ "Oh good; I'm sure your boyfriend will be relieved." He said._

_ "I told you papa, Soul isn't my boyfriend." Maka griped._

_ "No, I know that." Spirit amended, "I didn't mean him specifically."_

_ "Papa, what are you getting at?" Maka huffed._

_ "Nothing, nothing." Spirit said. "I just don't get to talk to you much now because of work and I wanted to make sure you didn't get you hear broken or anything like that."_

_ "Well you don't have to worry about that, papa. I don't have one." She paused. "A boyfriend, that is."_

_ "Oh." Spirit smiled. But it morphed into a sad one. "Good, good." His gaze fell to the ground._

_ "Papa-" Maka began._

_ "And everything's been going fine between you and your friends?"_

_ "Yeah?" Maka eyed her father briefly. "Well that is, no one is currently fighting each other. But back in the book, Black Star totally lost it, he nearly killed Kid!" She paused. "He's acting perfectly normal now." Maybe she had been too hard on him considering the circumstance. She just never thought that Black Star could fall prey to madness._

_ "Do you like him?" Spirit asked. Maka jolted, a blush painted on her cheeks._

_ "Who? What!" Maka stuttered._

_ "I'm sorry, I didn't phrase that right." Spirit apologized. "I mean are you getting along well with Kid." He felt his daughter's suspicious gaze._

_ "Yeah, I guess so." She studied him for a reaction. There was the slightest look of relief on his face. "...why?"_

_ "Oh, I just know that he had trouble when he first came here." He chuckled nervously. "And then you had your own group of friends, so didn't know if he got along well with all of you. But its good to hear that you not having any problems! Yes...good to hear."_

_ "Papa, what is this really about?" Maka questioned._

_ "My look at the time, I have to go!" He kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry we couldn't chat longer dear, but daddy has work to do. GOOD BYE!" In an instant he was half way down the hall._

_ "Papa!" Maka shouted, but he was gone. "What was that about?" She murmured._

"Oh, it's nothing." She dismissed. "Sorry I bothered you. I'll see you tomorrow, O.K.?"

"Alright." Kid said, though he wasn't sure why Maka thought something was up. Maka, however, did hold an innate suspicion that something was up. But if Shinigami-sama hadn't said anything, then she was probably just imagining things. After all, her father wanted her to stay his little girl forever... didn't he?


	24. Calm Before the Storm

**AN: I'm back. Sorry about the delay, I just had some kinks to work out with the plot. Now that I got most of the set up done I can get back to updating and the romance. Thank you for all your support and for sticking to the story this long. As a reward there are some pictures I've uploaded to DA of some of the characters I've described. You can find the links on my profile page. Hope you like them and enjoy the rest of the story.**

***Review Response***

**Chabeli05: Sorry it took so long. But the plot gets a little complicated as I tie a few loose ends together and prepare for the climax that has been building. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

** Celesta: I'm working on that. Now that I have had the summer to prepare the chapters there should be a spike in quality; and, hopefully, an improvement on my skills as a writer. Thank you for reviewing and following the story so far.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Yep, Crona's lost her memory. So sad. I have a plan for that, don't worry. As for the KiMa; well, I can't say anything now. I don't want to spoil the story. But the only pairing I really have in this fic is KidxCrona and SteinxMedusa (referenced of course). Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Big Sister K: I'm glad you have. I love to hear from my readers. 1- I do try hard to understand the motives behind all characters I write about. Some are harder than others (Like Asura for instance). 2- I do love the original idea behind Soul Eater, but what can I say; I love KidxCrona. Eventually, well at this point it's more like a few chapters, the story will diverge further from the main plot until it has reached the main plot (my own). 3- Yep, the word is a splice of one of the Japanese words for live/support (seikatsu) and the suffix of Shinigami (gami) as Shini means to die or perish. I'm sorry I was unclear. In Chapter 12 I mentioned that the soul vial Medusa had held a piece of Stein's soul. Later in Chapter 14 Medusa explained that two sources were needed to create a stable soul; she used a piece of her soul and the piece Stein gave her to make Crona. I did not write the after effects of removing a piece of someone's soul; but let's just say you can't quite recover from it. That's all I can say without spoiling the story. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Yeah, but we all know that match making doesn't always work. I do plan to bring Crona back in full force as well. As for the manga, I love it (though I wish he would tone the fanservice down a bit). Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Tears soaked the worn carpet of the old church. A young girl rose from the floor, her tears oddly silent.

"I could have done it." She said. "I could have saved you; all you needed to do was trust me. But you never did. YOU NEVER DID!" She shouted. "All I wanted was a chance! One little chance! But no, you had your collection to worry about!" She kicked an end table; it tipped and littered the ground with candle stubs. "Well, where has it got you now?! Hunh?" She shouted. But there was no one, only a beaten up book shared the old church hall with her. "Nothing, all this work and I'm the only one left! Stuck in the same church you found me in; filled with more empty promises then I can count! Then you had the nerve to make me care about you! I HATE YOU!" She cried. "I hate you." The girl crumpled to the floor. "And I hate me for caring."

"You should watch your tongue." Gopher froze. That voice, it couldn't be.

"Noah-sama?" She looked up, and was shocked to see a man standing before her. "I didn't mean it I just-" He wore a half buttoned, black dress shirt and jeans. The man did indeed resembled Noah, but the way he glared at her was too passionate to be him. Not to mention. She saw the blast hit Noah. "Who are you?" The man glared at her.

"Don't ask me stupid questions." He snorted. "We don't have time for this."

"We?" She stuttered. She scooted back, her hand on the open Book of Eibon. The book was open! Maybe Noah had escaped into the book at the last minute during the blast. Perhaps the whole ordeal had done him some good.

"Didn't I tell you to stop with the stupid questions!?" He snapped and stormed closer to the girl. Gopher flushed at the close proximity.

"Noah-sama, you've become so... wild." While this didn't answer his question; he seemed pacified that she didn't ask another question.

"You'll follow me." He stated.

"Of course!" He had them back, his emotions! There was still a chance for her happily ever after. Little did she know, the book was watching her.

"This is an intriguing turn of events." Eibon hummed. "I should be grateful that Wrath is easily manipulated." It watched as Gopher brought Noah the book. "I hope this won't disrupt my plans."

-8-0-8-

Kid landed outside a concrete barricade. The structure was crudely made and had been hastily slapped together. Inside was a village that had been left to ruin.

"This is it, the resting place of the last magic tool; the sarcophagus." Kid sighed.

"Wait, what?" Liz asked. "W-why would they name it something like that?"

"There was an incident about twenty years ago, all of the people in town disappeared. They didn't know what caused it, but everyone who went inside never came out." Kid explained. Liz squeaked in protest. "So they sealed the place up and never looked back. Inside is the key to unlocking the brew."

"B-but we don't have the brew." Liz reminded. "So we can't use the key! So we can just go home." Kid stared at her. "I'm not going in there."

"The fact that we don't have the brew is precisely why we need to obtain the key. If it's in our possession, then no one else can use it." He looked back at the crumbling wall. "Which is why I'm the only one who will enter."

"Oh, O.K." Liz paused. "Wait, you can't go!"

"I'm a shinigami, I'll be fine." He amended. "If I'm not back in forty minutes, go back to Shibusen."

"But-" Liz attempted.

"I should be back by then." He called forth his skate board. "Take care!"

"Good luck!" Patty giggled. The shinigami flew over the wall and landed on the over grown road of Chernobyl. He was surrounded by rusting car parts and old buildings. As he walked he noticed something odd; a section of the forest had been barricaded along with the rest of the town. He paused, the town was supposed to be empty. But he could hear the ground stir and the air was completely still. A light gasp echoed through the town. Turning, Kid saw the last person he expected to see. A shy pinkette in a black dress.

-8-0-8-

It was one of the strangest punishments Crona had ever received. Strange, as it didn't seem like a punishment at all. After her failure to slay the blue haired ninja, Medusa had stated that another mission had come up. While Crona had been pleased that she wasn't in trouble, she was equally confused. All she had to do was obtain a key from an abandoned town. However, it seemed someone else had a similar idea.

The boy who stood before her looked just as shocked to see her as she did. He wore the same skull that her other opponents did, but he held no weapon. She expected him to yell at her for being there, but he didn't. He did however began to smile; a relieved, slightly floored smile. And she found herself in awe that anyone could look at her that way. He began to walk toward her, slow, as if she would disappear if he moved too fast. Her eyes locked with his, gold flooded her vision.

"Crona?" The moment her name escaped his lip fear flooded her body. He knew who she was and the only people who did wanted to kill her. So she did the first thing that came to mind.

She ran.

-8-0-8-

"I see." Shinigami sighed. "Well this more complicated than we first thought. Thank you for telling me. You can go now." Black Star bowed an exited Shinigami's room. The assassin trudged all the way up to his secret room in the school. There Soul and Maka were waiting.

"What was that all about?" Soul asked. "Shinigami doesn't usually talk that long to anyone but Kid."

"Well something came up during our mission." Tsubaki supplied. She looked at Black Star in case he objected to what she said. He looked at the ground and hid his frustration.

"We found Crona." He said.

"Really?" Maka said, she looked like she was about to cry. "Where is she? When can we see her? Has Shinigami-sama repealed her banishment?" Black Star didn't say anything. He couldn't find the right way to tell her what happen. "Black Star, come on." Her smile began to fade. "She is O.K., isn't she?"

"She was behind the murders." Black Star finally said.

"Dude, that's not funny." Soul said gravely.

"I'm not joking." Black Star finally looked up. "She's back with Medusa and she didn't seem to recognize us."

"It's true." Tsubaki continued. "We tried to tell her we were her friends, that she didn't have to fight us, but she didn't listen. She didn't even know who we were." Maka sank into the couch; horror and confusion written on her face. "I'm so sorry Maka."

"No she couldn't have." Maka said. "It had to be Medusa. Medusa must have erased her memory. She wouldn't do that to us."

-8-0-8-

He chase after her, but at a distance. A row of broken buildings separated them as they ran. Every now and again he could catch a glimpse of her. Their pace matched. He wanted to call out to her, but it was taking all his breath to keep up. At the next building he slowed and quietly held his breath. He could hear her stop as well. He walked to the alley and to his surprise, she matched his step.

"Don't say it." Crona demanded. "Don't ask me to come back. I can't deal with another fight."

"Crona what are you talking about?" Kid asked. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"Aren't you with them?" Crona asked. She looked at him suspiciously. Suddenly Kid's features melded to one of pain. Did she think he stood by his father's decision? He took a step closer.

"No, of course not!" Kid professed. Crona eyed him and grasped her left arm.

"But you chased me." Crona observed as he came closer.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Kid wrapped his arms around her. "I'm just glad you're O.K." A warmth spread through Crona's body at the unfamiliar touch. She wanted to lean in to the embrace, but she didn't know why.

That scared her.

"You don't have to come back if you don't want to." He whispered. Crona pulled away. She didn't know how to deal with him. "Crona..." He looked confused, the slightest bit of pink had crept over his face. Something then drew his attention away from the pinkette and he blanched. "Get out of the way!" He shoved her to the side only to be hit in the stomach with a lance. Crona watched as the thing that attacked the boy stood to its full hight. A gangly form on point, that towered at seven feet. It turned to face her and grinned with uneven teeth. Crona went to draw her sword, but was stopped by Medusa's invention; the black clown. She struggled, but the artificial clown refused to attack its own kind. The monster before her drew the lance forth and aimed for her chest..

"Trespasser located." It lunged toward the miester, causing the girl to cringe. An impact was made, but not with her. The blue clown had been kicked in the head by Death the Kid.

"Crona are you alright?" Kid asked. He turned to see the demon sword in flight. She couldn't deal with it. "Crona, wait!" But she didn't and the clown was quickly recovering. He turned to face the recovering machine. "A defense system for the magic tool?" Kid mused. He scowled at the design; a lopsided face painted onto a scantily clad body. Scraps of blue cloth clung to the waist and flounced as it came to a stop.

"Are you worthy?" It drawled. Kid's brow furrowed further. "Are you worthy?"

"You're behind the disappearances." Kid concluded. The clown chuckled.

"You're very rude." It chuckled. "No one was to set foot on this land, even before the last magic tool arrived."

"The last magic tool?"

"This land belongs to Claudia. Those villagers trespassed and foolishly settled her. So I ate them." It chuckled. "They were delicious, fear really is the best seasoning... I wonder how you taste?" It lunged toward Kid. He jumped out of the way and ran to the other end of the town. The buildings thinned and were replaced by thick foliage. Running, Kid glanced behind to see the clown had stopped. Kid paused and noticed a ring of salt had been poured onto the ground around the hut; its roof was beginning to dip in. However, it was the only structure within the ring, and thusly begged to be investigated. Kid looked back at the feral clown before ducking inside.

-8-0-8-

The inside had deteriorated faster than the exterior. Leaves littered the dirt encrusted floor, wood chimes swayed in the still air; the whole place made Kid's skin crawl. On a dusty table, a whole mess of bottles had been haplessly left behind. Kid tried to ignore them, but it was one of the few things in the room he could fix. It wouldn't take too long to sort them. He still had time, right? In a flurry he began to rearrange the dusty containers; some filled with liquid, others he'd rather not dwell on. Behind all the bottles he found a sheet of cork with bits of decayed paper pinned to it. In the center a weathered picture coated in dust. With a puff of breath, the dust stirred and settled on the table.

The picture was of two girls about his age. They were both similar in physical feature and dress; with shoulder length white hair, pale skin, and white uniforms. It was too dark in the hut to tell the two apart, so he grudgingly lit one of the candles that had melted onto the table. The fire illuminated the room, and the picture. A picture of the woman from his dream standing next to a figure with her face scribbled out with red paint, which had been pinned in the center of a broken mirror. He stumbled back and saw furious script painted above the picture '_I CURSE THE GIRL WHO SHARES MY FACE'_. In his shock he hit the cauldron behind him. It tipped and a gold key the size of his arm toppled out.

The magic tool! He told Patty and Liz he would be out in forty minutes with it. Which unfortunately meant that the picture would have to wait. Besides, the whole place was really starting to weaken his nerve. With the magic tool in his hand he turned to leave. Only the entrance was blocked by a red clown identical to the one outside.


	25. Ill Will

**AN: Short chapter this time, but I had some stuff to work out with the last two scenes. I'll add them into the next chapter which will make it extra long and full with fluffy goodness and drama! Without further a due, then next chapter!**

***Review replies***

**Chabeli05: Yes, yes I do. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Thank you very much. It took a while to get everything sorted out. Hopefully its smooth sailing from here. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I know, right? Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**DemonAlilith: All great couples take time. And the time is coming. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Big Sister K: O.K. so here's the deal. If you take blue and yellow, it makes a whole new color; as opposed to a weirdo tie dye yellow-blue thing. The spell involved in creating a soul is similar. Instead of a weird hybrid of Stien and Medusa, Medusa created a whole new soul; the traits of which, were out of her control. Due to the nature of the spell, it is nearly impossible to create a 'normal' soul without any abnormalities. Technically, Crona was born with a girigori soul, because she did not gain her soul wings by eating the soul of an animal. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Little Angel Boy: Thank you. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Vice Deveraux: I'm glad. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

"You can't leave." The red clown stated. "Stealing is wrong." Its jaw unhinged to reveal sharp teeth. "Give it back." However, it couldn't back up its threat. Kid had hit it hard with the magic tool, disconnecting its head from its body. Due to the impact, the whole cottage finally fell in on itself. All that remained was a desperate head. "Damage at 87%. Shutdown is emanate." The voice warped and died. Just as Kid was about to leave the eyes of the clown lit up again and a snide feminine laugh echoed from it.

_"'Oh, how the mighty have fallen.' That fits the situation doesn't it? You always were the favorite dear cousin. Always virtuous, always wise; not a mistake to her name. Then you become the Sekaigami and suddenly you're also the epitome of order and law._

_ 'But I suppose you've since given up on that, haven't you? Working with Shibusen in disguise, aiding demon weapons, stealing the __Book of Eibon__ from me. I know it was you, you were the one that let me run off with it in the first place. Though I was surprised to hear that you lied to everyone about your intentions with Mortis. Seeing as he's out for your blood, I'd say he hasn't forgiven you for it. It serves you right! Horrible things have happened because of you._

_ 'I want my book back you heartless floozy, you can't handle its power. If you want your magic tool back, you will return the __Book of Eibon__ to me._

Kid glanced back at the magic tool and noticed something was off. The engraving on the key was gone, on the ground the crest glistened on a gold chain. Kid snatched it up quickly without a second glance and ran. He only had a few more minutes to leave.

"Little Shinigami!" The other clown chuckled. "You shouldn't have done that." Kid was out of the salt ring and beyond Claudia's feeble protection. "RETURN WHAT YOU STOLE!" It grabbed a hold of his leg and drug him to the ground. Kid growled in frustration at the claws that dared to sink into his leg and pull him through the dirt. A mixture of deja vu and fear rushed through him, his OCD was screaming at him to get out of the disgusting town. He clawed at the ground to try to create some resistant. "I wouldn't value your life much longer if I were you." A chill blanketed across his body, his arm itched again. The clown hissed just as Kid reluctantly threw the large gold key. It recoiled from him and stumbled to the key. Instantly he scrambled to his feet and left; if only he turned around, he would have seen the clown's arms curl like burnt paper.

-8-0-8-

"KID!" Liz cried. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Sis wore a hole in the ground from worrying." Patty giggled and pointed to the path created by her sister's pacing.

"You didn't get hurt did you?" Liz asked. "You look pale."

"Where were all the people? Was there an explosion that killed them like BOOM!" Patty could barely contain herself. "Or were there a lot of bodies? Were they gross? I bet they were gross!"

"Slow down," Kid chuckled nervously. "I'm not hurt, but I might be a little radioactive." Liz stopped hugging him. "And no, there were no bodies, it was a nuclear blast that destroyed the town."

"Ooh!" Patty cooed.

"Wait," Liz asked, "where's the magic tool?" Kid frowned and slipped the chain into his pocket.

"I couldn't find it." He sighed. "It was probably destroyed in the disaster."

"Aww! That's too bad." Patty pouted. "I wanted to see what it looked like."

"Well at least no one can use it." Liz said to cheer Kid up.

"Yeah. We should head back." It bothered Kid that he could lie to his weapons so easily now.

-8-0-8-

Gopher hid yet another smile as she bustled about the small church kitchen. The change that had overcome Noah was monumental. There was a different air about him, more familiar, more passionate, more... lively. Yes, that was the best word for it, lively. And his energy had infected her. The church was in better shape than it had been in the last ten years; and with Noah's regained interest in other things, like food, she paid more attention to what he ate. She set a dish down where Noah was already waiting. He proceeded to wolf it down, pausing only for the occasional breath.

"Everything tastes alright?" Gopher asked. She received a low grunt of approval. "That's good. I was thinking about getting a new set of curtains, to let more light in. Of course, I'll probably need to get a job now that Justin's stopped preaching for us. You know, the coffee bar is hiring-"

"First we need to retrieve the Kishen." Noah stated.

"What?" Noah glared at her, she bowed quickly. "I'm sorry, I'm just surprised you want to leave again so soon. Wouldn't you rather stay and rest a bit longer?" Gopher clenched the fabric of her pants under the table.

"We've already wasted too much time as it is." So close, she was so close.

"Why?" Gopher asked.

"What did I say about asking stupid questions!?"

"It's not a stupid question. Why is the Kishen so important?" For once Noah faltered. He scrambled to come up with a reason. When he found none, he switched tactics.

"I thought you swore to follow me where ever I go. Has that changed?"

"No! No, of course not." Gopher dared to make eye contact."But you have to promise this is it. No more collecting or fierce battles." She was serious. She had nearly lost him once, and once was enough. But as the gravity of what she said sunk in, her face lit up. She clenched her eyes and prepared for his cold indifference.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Noah growled. "However, you'll be pleased to know that this will be the crowning jewel." He glared at her. "And I will not tolerate failure."

"Noah-sama!" Gopher's heart soared. He cared about her! Granted, he was a little harsh; but that was to be expected of someone who almost died. And now, there was no more competition for his attention.

-8-0-8-

"He saved me." Crona mumbled once she reached the sanctuary of her room. "He should have killed me, but he saved me."

"I know," Ragnarok snarled, "I was there, remembered?"

"But Ragnarok, he didn't have to." Crona whimpered. "He shouldn't have. I'm not worth saving." _There's nothing left to save._ She curled in on herself. "Why did he save me? Why did he look at me with those eyes, like I mattered?" Tears threatened to trickled down her face. Ragnarok felt a fierce sense of possession over his miester. No one was supposed to make her cry.

"Knock that off!" He bonked her. "If you're so confused, why don't you ask Medusa?" Crona trembled again.

"I can't, she can't know about this." Crona sniffled. Warm, his arms had been warm. _Don't. _Had he really looked at her with that strange warmth in his eyes. _Forget._ It was strange, being saved. _You're safe where you are. _He didn't yell at her for being weak, he didn't judge. Did such a person really exist, or was it just a dream? _You'd taint him, ruin whatever it was that made him care._ What would happen if Medusa found out? "I don't want to get in trouble." If she knew he had held her, even though he shouldn't have, what would Medusa do? Would she make her throw him away like that pin?

"Then why does it matter!?"

Because when he held her she liked it.


	26. Wreath of Thorns

**AN: Sorry I didn't update last week. I had a magical project known as 'Baby Think it Over'. It's those weird electronic babies that have a program to make them cry for things they need. It kept me up all night from Monday to Thursday and during the day I couldn't write more then a half a page between changing and feeding it. Now that it's gone I finally have a chance to beef up the story with *drum roll* my original plot line! I just wanted to make sure that everyone had a good feel for where all the characters were at with each other before launching into the KxC. No sound relationship happens over night.**

***Review response***

**Chabeli05: Yes, Kid is a bad, bad little boy right now. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Big Sister K: I'm so sorry, I went and got your hopes up only to fail you. But yes, I do try to update every Thursday. It helps me stay focused on the story as opposed to others. As to your question from ages ago: when Medusa and Arachnae met up in chapter 14 she mentions that she used a piece of soul from a dead dog. A true witch can never come in contact with the dead; it's against their nature. If a witch was to eat the soul of a living thing they would become a sorceress, but Kid was born with the essence of death inside his soul. Iroha hoped to shield him from anything that would connect him to that aspect of himself. Mainly Shinigami-sama himself. I do intentionally write Shishuben. It was a mistake I couldn't find the correct term anywhere so I just kept the spelling for continuity's sake.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: If only rage faces were allowed in the comments XD. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

It occurred to Kid, that not all the material he had gathered on witches had been confiscated by his father. He searched through the shelves for The Fall of Salem which he shelved ages ago during one of his OCD tangents. After dusting off the cover, he flipped to the page that talked about DWMA's involvement in Salem.

_Witches have always respected the rule to do no harm and cherish all life. This all changed during the trial period of the sekaigami. With the trial came a rise in voodoo witchcraft and the introduction of assassins into wicken society. The Voodoo Queen's integration of assassins was founded on the principle that they would protect witches from Death. However, it resulted in the increase of negative connotations and attention toward Salem._

_ A greater rift was torn between the two societies, soon to be made irreparable. Left with very little options, the council planned to placate Death through matrimony, in hopes to cripple Death City. Only one candidate could be chosen for the job. When the Voodoo Queen wasn't chosen, she separated herself from the witches and took most of the assassins with her._

_ Salem was left defenseless against Death City's attack._

"I thought I'd find you here." Maka said. Kid looked up in surprise. "We need to talk."

"Oh, O.K." He closed the book. "What's going on?" She slide into the seat before him.

"Black Star's found Crona." Maka sighed. "Well, I mean, he saw Crona. He said that she's responsible for the murders."

"WHAT!?" Kid shouted. A librarian peeked around the shelf to shush him. "Sorry." He turned to Maka. "That can't be right. I mean this is Crona after all. She would never hurt anyone, at least not of her own accord." Kid tried to calm himself. He had just seen her today; sure she was nervous, but capable of murder?

"That's what I thought too." Maka said. "She'd never do something like that on her own. I think Medusa's behind this." Maybe that's why she was so nervous, but why wouldn't she tell him? Did she not trust him? Or maybe she was about to before the clown attacked. "She's cast some spell on her to make her forget us or something like that; whatever it is, it can't be good. I'm just worried about her."

"Me too." He had to talk to her! Somewhere private, but how? If he could just arrange a meeting between them, somewhere on one else would go. He'd have to run into her again first.

"I think that's what Shinigami-sama wants to talk to us about." Kid hummed in agreement, his mind elsewhere. "Kid, did you hear me?"

"Hunh?"

"Shinigami-sama wants to talk to us."

"Oh; yes, yes." He stood. "I'll get caught up on it later." He packed his bag and begun to leave.

"What do you mean later?"

"Sorry Maka, something's come up." Kid hurried toward the exit. "Tell my father you couldn't find me and left a message."

"Kid!" Maka watched in shock as her friend practically ran toward the exit. He seemed rather panicked, maybe something had really come up. "Probably went to go make his bed... yeah." If it was just his OCD, she didn't want to get yelled at again. But something wasn't sitting well with her.

-8-0-8-

Crona had done it, another enemy had fallen to their knees, a full grown man. The maroon blood painted the hem of her dress. With Ragnarok satiated, it was time to rest. It should have been easy to go home, the streets were empty save for one boy. Yet still she managed to run into him.

"What was that for?" Crona stuttered.

"I should have watched where I was going, sorry." He stooped to pick something up from the dirt. "And I made you drop your necklace too."

"But I don't-"

"Surely it must be yours." He offered the piece to her again. It was a simple silver locket. On the surface an ankh was engraved. She shook her head again and accidentally made eye contact. Gold. His eyes were gold. "Well no one else is here to claim it, it should go to you." He grabbed her hand and placed the locket within her grasp.

"But I-" He was gone before she could object. It was the boy form the sarcophagus. Granted, he was covered well enough for the cold weather that she couldn't see her face, but it had to be him. Curious she popped open the thin locket where a piece of paper was hidden.

She was a demon miester; a crippled soul tainted by madness. She didn't understand kindness. She didn't know who he was, or how hard it was to approach her with his message when she was decorated in someone else's blood. But a hope hid in the shadows of her heard.

_**Meet me in the Sarcophagus, tomorrow, at sunset.**_

Because maybe, just maybe; he wanted to be tainted too.

-8-0-8-

"Maka, chill out." Soul sighed in the door way of the balcony. "You're starting to make me nervous." Maka paused her pacing to glance at the clock.

"I can't help it Soul!" Maka sighed. "Are you sure Kid's coming to the party? He's a little late, if he doesn't get here soon I don't know what I'll do."

"He's always later." Soul dismissed. "Maka, what's this about? You've been acting strange ever since you got home last night." Maka froze.

"What, nothing! It's nothing, forget I ever said anything."

"Why, what's going on?" Soul asked. Maka thought about her meeting with Lord Death.

_"Maka, so glad you could make it." Lord Death chuckled. "Where's Kiddo?"_

_ "I-" She faltered. "I couldn't find him in time. I'll be sure to pass the message along for you." The shinigami slumped._

_ "That's too bad I was hoping to tell you both at the same time." He straightened and adopted a formal air. "As you might have heard, I will be hosting a party. Moral had been really low lately with the Kishen running amuck. At the party I will deliver an important announcement."_

_ "You've found the location of the Kishen?"_

_ "...no. Not yet anyway." His voice was laden with fatigue. "I want to bring people's minds to the future, to bring hope back to this situation." She could almost swear he was smiling behind his mask. "I plan to announce an engagement at the party; I just didn't want you to be too surprised." Maka nodded numbly. "Just let Kiddo know what's going on. Oh, and remember, it's a secret!"_

"Just promise me that you won't treat me differently after this is all over." Maka whispered.

"I promise." He didn't want to push the subject; if he did, she'd just clam up further. For someone who insisted on helping others, she was slow to reach out for it. She thought it made her look stronger if she didn't. So he'd let it drop. She'd tell him what was wrong when she was ready.

-8-0-8-

Kid stared at his cup blankly. The thick coat of denial had fallen off him and realization set in. Crona had killed someone. He had seen the blood, the body, her eyes- He shook his head; it didn't matter how helpless she looked, she was a criminal...right? She was perfectly in control of her actions. She decided to kill those people. She might be waiting of him. He glanced at the sky line, the sun's laughter light and drowsy.

"Kid?" He startled at the sound of Tsubaki's voice. "Kid, are you feeling alright? You seem a little out of it." It was true. From the moment he arrived at the party he had tuned out the mindless chatter and jazz in favor of his own thoughts.

"No, I'm fine." He assured. "You wanted to asked me something?" He had taken to standing near the exit in his indecision. The chances of someone running into him by accident were slim.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you've seen Black Star." She sighed. "He ran off as soon as we arrived." Kid shook his head.

"Surprisingly no." He offered a reassuring smile. "But that means he hasn't left yet, so he's somewhere inside."

"I hope you're right." She nodded to him. "I'm going to check the buffet again. The sun was beginning to set, if he didn't leave soon, he'd be late. Then again, he shouldn't go at all, Crona was a murder once more. But the thought of Crona alone in the dark made his stomach lurch. That is, if she went at all. He frowned, because if she did go and he wasn't there, then he would have betrayed what little trust he had been given.

No one would fault him for checking if she came though, right? After all, it was sort of a test of her humanity. If she didn't arrive, then clearly she wouldn't be in control of her actions and would need rescue. But if she did show up, then she was in control of her actions and needed to be questioned further. So obviously he had to go, otherwise he'd never know. He'd leave to judge her soul; not to avoid the stuffy party or to feed the seed of distrust that had planted itself in his heart.

Or at least, that's what he told himself.

-8-0-8-

"-I guess he couldn't handle my godly presence." Black Star chuckled. "I only wish I had a camera, so I could show you his face." He did his best to mimic the disgusted shock he had seen on his previous opponent, then laughed. Maka stifled her own laughter. "It's good to see you smile again." He commented.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." The ninja blushed. "I was just thinking, maybe I should change my outfit, to better hide my presence." He fibbed. "Something dark and traditional maybe." Maka snickered.

"I don't think that would help."

"Even an invisibility cloak couldn't hide you." Soul jested with a sagely nod.

"I suppose you're right-"

"There you are!" Tsubaki dashed over and hugged the ninja. "Where have you been?"

"Tsubaki-"

"I've been looking all over for you for the last hour."

"Tsubaki, I can't breathe!" Black Star insisted. The chain scythe let go, her face flushed. "It's O.K." He amended. "I just have that effect on people."

"Wait, did you say and hour?" Maka looked up at the clock and gasped. It was almost eight. "Oh, no. Has anyone seen Kid?"

"He was near the fountain a few minutes ago." Tsubaki answered. "Why?"

"I have to talk to him." She stumbled out of her chair.

"Maka?!" Black Star frowned.

"I'll explain later; I promise." She backed away. "I just need to find him before it's too late."

"Too late for what?" Black Star called after her, but she was long gone. He looked to Soul for guidance.

"Don't look at me, I don't know what goes on in her head half the time." Soul sighed. "And that's on a good day."

Maka weaved through the crowd and prayed for a glimpse of white stripes. Time was running out and soon. The future she had planned was slipping through her fingers. If she could just find Kid maybe she could stop it.

"I have an important announcement to make, everyone!" Lord Death declared and the party grew silent. "A toast, to my son and his future bride;" Her hope died in her throat as a spotlight beamed on her, "come on up you crazy kids!"

But Kid was nowhere to be found.

-8-0-8-

"It's not worth it." Ragnarok huffed. "You're on thin ice as it is because of you incompatibility with the clown. If Medusa finds out you're not on another mission, you'll be in trouble."

"I know, but it bothers me." She looked up at her weapon. "Why would someone want to talk to me?"

"It's a trap." Ragnarok stated. The pinkette jolted at the thought. "He just wants you to sit here and get eaten by clowns."

"Why? That doesn't make any sense." Crona frowned. "He had two chances to kill me and he didn't take them."

"Speak of the devil." She could feel Ragnarok's soul writhe in the boy's presence as he receded back into Crona.

"You came." He looked surprised and yet, lost. She nodded and looked at her lap.

"Y-you wanted to see me?" Kid nodded, his heart beat a mile a minute. "Why?" He remained silent, searching within for a proper answer. "You don't even know me, yet you want to talk to me." Madness trickled from her body in thin tendrils. "You defeated the clown that attacked me, why?"

"I...don't know." Kid sighed. He shouldn't be here., he had acted rashly on emotion again and again it forced him into a corner.

"That's a lie." She muttered. "Everyone has an ulterior motive. Every action has a reason."

"I don't need a reason to save you!" Control, he needed control before things got out of hand. Before her had to admit what he deeply feared was happening. But when she looked at him with those same eyes he had seen so long ago, he felt lost.

"There's nothing left to save." She was the same, the same girl who helped him find Iroha and the same girl that was reaching out for him now. It didn't matter what she remembered and what she didn't; she was Crona.

"Maybe, I just want to protect you." The longer he stood before her, the deeper it became ingrained into his skull. "Is that so wrong?"

"I-I'm just so confused right now." She was fragile, trapped between what she couldn't remember and what now laid before her. He held her again, her tears dotted his pressed shirt. Here in the moonlight, he could pretend that everything was just like it was. He could feel himself relax into the embrace. Her gaze peaked out from behind his shoulder to the sky. "I should probably go, Medusa will be mad if I'm gone much longer." But he didn't let go. Her brow furrowed at his silence. "I need to leave. Let me go." His grip loosened just enough to look her in the eyes once more and when he spoke, his voice was soft.

"Only if you promise to meet me here again tomorrow night."


	27. Tale as Old as Time

**AN: This chapter was a tricky one. I didn't want to rush or draw things out too much, but at the same time keep respect for the character's plight. A lot of heavy stuff got crammed in so I had to revise stuff. Especially the fight. Enjoy.**

***Review Response***

**Chabeli05: Yeah, it's hard to listen to logic in the heat of the moment. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I couldn't find the song, fanfiction doesn't like links. Could you tell me who wrote it and what the song was, please? On another note; Lord Death thinks he's doing the right thing, he just... hasn't been a kid for a while. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: I'm flattered. ^^ You'll find out Kid's thoughts about the engagement in this chapter! As for the side pairing... I don't know. I keep wanting to have Black Star hide his crush, but his character was never one for subtle. I'm certain that romance is the last thing on Maka's mind though; so if there is a pairing it's one-sided at best. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Big Sister K: I know, such a change from the beginning of the story. Yes, my plot is starting to unfold, but Asura will play a key part in its maturation. I did have Crona as more of a puppet in the beginning, but Pandora never really left Crona. She just was sort of absorbed when Crona started to go mad.**

** After the hiatus, I sort of lost touch with Medusa's character. Thanks for pointing out the issues I missed in the last chapter, it really helped with the scene in this one where I explain what's going on with Medusa and answer your questions with that instead. As for the necklace, Kid bought the locket for her. Then anch is a symbol of life and death in Egyptian mythology, not to mention perfectly symmetrical. I apologize about the chapter, I was really scrapping for a title and didn't look back at what I typed. It's fixed now, but I probably won't go back and edit the actual content of the chapters until I've finished the whole story so I don't lose sight of where the characters are at emotionally in the current spot they're in. As always, thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**DarkEmbrace75: Thank you, the beginning confused a lot of people. But it should start to make more sense now. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Words could not describe how mortified Maka was. She hurried down the halls of Shibusen like she had been shot. Her head spun and her hands shook. She could hear the skittering laughter of the world at her back. Was this what it was like to be unable to deal with something?

"Maka!" Her friend's voice pulled her back to reality. She had run all the way to the front steps. "It's not true, is it?" She turned to see Black Star just a yard behind her. He searched her eyes for any trace of joviality, but there was none. She relented a small, affirming nod. "And your O.K. with it?" Frustration bubbled behind his words.

"Of course I'm not O.K. with it!" Maka defended. "I didn't want to- don't want to get married! I never wanted any of this to happen. Nobody asked me what I wanted to happen! They just decided they knew what was best for me and went for it. I tried to stop it, but without Kid I doubt Shinigami-sama would have listened to me. Now everyone knows, it's too late to make him take it back."

"So that's it! You're just gonna' lie down and let this happen?" Black Star shouted. "This isn't right Maka, it's not how it's supposed to be. You can't just do nothing!"

"Well what can I do?" Maka sniffled. "We can go on and kill as many Kishen eggs as we want, but we're still kids." Black Star froze as tears trickled down. "We can't do anything." That was where she was wrong. He could do something, about Kid.

-8-0-8-

The clown was now officially Medusa's greatest failure. Because it had no soul, it tried to latch onto Crona's. Unfortunately for it, Ragnarok's was still large enough to cover her own, which created a hideous rejection reaction. It had taken hours to extract the dysfunctional creation and it would take even longer to dismantle it now that it had, had a taste of madness.

"I'm too young to die." The clown said, as it had also gained the ability to speak. "How sad, I knew me so well." It was aggravating. She had to shoo Crona out of the house just to concentrate. "Perchance, could you tell me the time?" The sooner it was gone the better. Now where was the hydrogen peroxide.

"Be quiet." She snapped. "Your yammering won't prolong your existence."

"It is not my existence I worry for." The clown chuckled. "Tell me, foul temptress; if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a noise."

"I don't have time for you riddles." She sighed. Next some boric acid, maybe arsenic for good measure.

"Unbusy your mind a moment and listen to what I ask." The clown insisted. "If the king is in the counting house and the queen is in her chambers, how do they know what goes on in the court yard?" It paused, but received no answer. "There are places in this world protected by magic, old magic, that even the eyes of the gods can't see; but I can see it."

"I am done with Grimoire and Chernobyl, the queens of the old world can't hinder me with their spells anymore." Old as it was, Claudia's charms had withstood time. Her seal kept Salem, Grimoire, Eibon's realm, and the Sarcophagus from the sight of her crystal ball. It was also, the only reason Crona had gone to Chernobyl to begin with; as a spy. With the clown, she could make sure Shinigami's son had the last magic tool. Not the garish shell, but the small key Iroha had worn so close to her death. It warded off madness from the person who held it and could make the Brew safe to use. If Kid had the tool, then she wouldn't have to worry about a radical in her plan.

"I do not speak of spells and buildings, I speak of the heart; the very core of the soul." Medusa finished the concoction that would destroy the vile thing. It spat a cackled. "Your daughter is almost strong enough to break free of the soul that shrouds her's. It won't take much to tip her over the edge."

"My research is almost done." Medusa assured. She stirred the mixture of chemicals together as she spoke.

"But will you be there to see it come to fruition." She stopped her motions and felt it laugh at her. "I could tell you what goes through your daughter's head. What she thinks of you. What she'll do once your plan is through." She doused the clown with the concoction. It sputtered another cackled. "But you'll never know." The rest of the clown melted and sizzled like water on a hot pan.

She didn't want to know what the clown had found, because he was right. Soon Crona would be strong enough to stand on her own, and by then Medusa's words would no longer reach her. There was no need to worry, there wasn't time to. She'd have to execute her plan faster than anticipated.

-8-0-8-

Soul knocked on the frame of Maka's door. It had been two hours since Maka shut herself in her room.

"Maka?"

"Come in?" He opened the door to see Maka at her desk with a book like any other night. "What's up?" Her off-handed attitude was over shadowed by her red rimmed eyes. Normally Soul would let it drop here, but now that he knew what was wrong...

"How are you holding up?" He asked. The scythe miester sighed.

"I only had a day's notice of what was going on." She gazed at her book. "I guess now that the shock's worn off it doesn't seem to madder as much."

"Maka-"

"Well, I mean compared to everything else." She amended. "Right now, finding the Kishen should be my top priority. I can worry about my petty problems after all of this is over." Soul crossed the room and hugged her from behind.

"You can't keep this up forever Maka." The girl nodded.

"Then we'll just have to find the Kishen then, won't we?" He smirked into her shoulder.

"I think we can manage that."

-8-0-8-

Kid held the charm from Chernobyl in this hand. It was a gold key, about an inch in length, and perfectly symmetrical. Even down to the tiniest jewel. Though it looked a little dull in luster compared to the shell that housed it.

"Oi, Kid!" Black Star called form down the hall. Kid quickly stuffed the charm back under his shirt.

"Black Star-" In an instant he was slammed against the wall.

"You're got a lot of nerve shinigami." Black Star hissed. Kid's eyes widened in bewilderment at the angry ninja.

"I have a lot of nerve?" The ninja pulled his fist back to punch the boy in the face.

"You're going to pay for making Maka cry." Kid swung his leg and kicked the assassin in the face. Black Star was knocked to the ground which left Kid unpinned.

"What are you talking about?" Kid sputtered.

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!" He swung his leg under Kid's effectively knocking him to the floor. Black Star sprung up and pinned Kid to the floor with his foot. "This whole engagement thing has you written all over it. You just 'happen' to be missing all up to the announcement and then you act like nothing's going on."

"...Maka's engaged?" Kid exclaimed. "To who? What does this have to do with me?"

"You! She's engaged to you!" Black Star shouted. He was angry, unreasonably so. But saying it aloud made it seem more real. Kid felt like a lead wight had been dropped into his stomach, or maybe that was Black Star's foot. Not that Maka was a bad person, but the idea of marrying her made him feel sick. His heart hammered in his chest as thoughts of everything that had been set in motion and panicked. He tugged on Black Star's wrist and pulled him to the ground behind him. Black Star stumbled to his feet and grabbed Kid's arm before he could run off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Black Star recoiled as blistering cold hit his palm. However, there were no marks on his hands and Kid was already shooting down the hall. Oblivious to Kid, the key around his neck had become tarnished.

-8-0-8-

"Crona, we need to talk." Medusa said coolly outside of her room. The pinkette slipped out of the darkness and into her mother's watchful gaze. "It's been a while since you've reported to me about your missions." Crona nodded.

"They're pretty much the same now. I kill, Ragnarok eats, we go home." She had grown used to her training. That was good, it would make the transition easier.

"Would you like to test your skills?" No, no she didn't. Tests meant observations, observations would be bad if she noticed what she'd been doing. But she couldn't tell Medusa that.

"I-I guess. If I have to." She stuttered.

"You do." Medusa grimaced. Still Crona's meek nod was encouraging. "Before now, you have been slaying meaningless individuals. Now it's time to see if you've been worth the time. Your next opponent will be a death scythe, one of Shinigami's most skilled warriors. You leave in ten minutes." Crona nodded and began to wander off. "Before I forget," Medusa addressed, "what did you do with that necklace you were given?" Crona resisted the urge to bring her hand up to her chest.

"I didn't want it," she said, "I threw it away."

"Good girl." Crona remembered the pin her mother had found, how it had been thrown away the moment her mother found it. She didn't want that to happen again. So she always kept the locket under her dress and she never told her mother why she 'flew' over Chernobyl. She didn't want her mother to throw the boy away.

-8-0-8-

"Father!" Kid's voice rang through his father's chambers.

"Kiddo, so good to see you again." His father chirped. "You've been so busy lately."

"Is it true, that I'm engaged?" He was out of breath from his mad dash to the room. Lord Death tilted his head to the side.

"Didn't Maka tell you?" Kid's features became stiff and sullen.

"No, she didn't." He sighed.

"Well you would have know if you had stayed at the party." Lord Death teased, but his son didn't react.

"I had other plans that day." Kid clenched his fist. "Might I ask why you've decided who I'll marry?"

"Yumi and I planned it when you two were about seven." Lord Death explained. "This was before we knew Maka's talents, it was more of a political maneuver than anything else." It was hard to believe that his father was so Laissez fair about the whole thing. "Yumi wanted Maka to marry rich and she seemed like a nice kid."

"But why me?" Kid insisted dryly. Shoulders slumped, his father contemplated how to answer his son's question.

"There was a time when shinigami and witches didn't fight, it was before my time; but my uncle used to tell me about it." He turned from his son to gaze at the mirror before him. "The first shinigami, was in fact, a demi-god. The third eldest of Odin, who ruled over the land of the dead. In order to prove that he was fit to be the next Death God; Hades had to bring his father madness itself, sealed within a box.

"On his way he passed a young girl, crying under a tree. He paused to try to help her and she asked to see the box that held. Though he warned her not to open it, she did anyway releasing disease, ill fortune and madness into the world." Shinigami continued. "Do you know who that girl was?"

"No." Kid grimaced, unsure to where the story was headed.

"Not many do." Shinigami frowned. "Her name was Pandora, the mother of the wicken world. She spread war and famine through the lands and ruled over a mighty empire. It took all of Hades resources to take down what Pandora had built, and even that wasn't enough.

"Hades had Pandora pinned, ready to execute her when she cast he last spell, a curse on Hades and his decedents. Until a shinigami reaps her soul, madness will continue to run rampant no madder how many seals we place. It is my job as the descendent of Hades to protect people from our mistakes and make sure that the future generations don't make the same mistakes."

"Father," Kid interjected. "I don't see how this answers my question."

"Witches and shinigami are very similar to the eyes of man. Our stories start in the same place, our powers counter each others." He faced his son again and rested a hand on Kid's shoulder. "I was worried that people wouldn't know the difference anymore and think you were a bad kid." It was a lie, one of his better ones. Doubtless Kid would blow off his lengthy explanation and grouse in his room when he got home. But all great lies have an element of truth to them.


	28. Wall Flower

**AN: I updated late last week noooooooooooooo! Well here we go! Personally, I think it's one of my better chapter; since, my oh my, there is character development and the explanation of what exactly happened between Iroha and Shinigami-sama. O.O Well on with the responses.**

***Review Responces***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Yep, that's what most people in Death City know of the legend, LD's uncle was a huge jerk. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: I'm trying to tie some loose strings, for the true nature of the 'curse' will be revealed. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

"You're pathetic." Crona spat. Here was her fearsome opponent, a death scythe with an anti-magic wave length, reduced to tears at her feet. She cut her wrist and let the black blood flow. It didn't take long for the whole town to be coated in the slick black substance, all uniform and pristine as it spindled long fibers into the death scythe's mouth. He choked on the bitter flavor and his own tears, clearly unfit to sustain madness. With a merciful strike, she ended his misery. The black blood enveloped his still form and solidified into a sphere above the ground. Crona casually offered Ragnarok the soul, through the haze of madness, Ragnarok offered his miester one last bit of advice.

"If this is what you want, then no one can be saved." Crona frowned as Ragnarok gulped down the soul. No exceptions could be made; if a soul was unfit for madness, they were to be erased. Even the people she now cared for. She crumpled in on herself, her skin felt like it was on fire. She could feel Ragnarok's soul was dangerously close to hers and it sickened her. Ragnarok howled as his snout was elongated further and the hands that once held swords stretched into thin, jagged wings. But such changes were to be expected now that they had eaten ninety-nine souls.

-8-0-8-

Kid angrily tossed bits of rubble into a dented trash can. An engagement? For him!? What did his father think, that Kid was too incompetent to find his own wife? There were several girls that would gladly kill to hear the time of day from him, let alone marry him. He had enough power and money to woo any number of girls that would impress his father. So why was he here instead?

"That's a little pointless, don't you think?" Crona commented. The boy jolted and fixed his appearance before facing her. How odd.

"Crona!" Kid's face flushed."You...umm... look nice." Very odd.

"Really?" She asked. "I always feel tired after I've killed someone." His face blanched briefly, so he knew, and yet he was still here. He didn't run; only shook his head, muttering something. He smiled at her sadly and Crona wondered just how much he knew, yet over looked. This mild curiosity burbled further when he spoke as she became more intrigued about the kind of person who saw something in her she long assumed was dead.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." How could he be so dense? Of course Crona had continued to aid Medusa, she chose to. But what other choice did the girl have? She was bound by the choices of her guardian, much like he was, Struggle as he might, he couldn't leave behind what his father chose. That didn't make the situation change any. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and looked up to meet a confused gaze.

"You weren't," Crona said, "it's no big deal." She didn't quite understand what he was feeling, but she could tell he was upset and it showed. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Oh no, it's not your fault." Kid amended. "It's just... One minute I think I know everything and the next the world just seems to turn over. I can't control anything anymore and I hate it!" He held his head in his hands. "I'm a disgusting, pitiful creature that can't even decide what to do with my life without a million limitations first. I don't ask for much; but the one time I really want something to change, you'd think my father would actually listen. He's always been like this. I remember, when I was growing up, he used to take me to work with him. When I got tired of organizing everything, I looked out the window and saw these kids playing outside. When I finally got the courage to ask if I could play with them, he told me I wasn't allowed to talk to other kids. The next day he left me in the mansion, away from everybody else. I wasn't allowed back at the school for five years." He heard Crona chuckle behind him. "What?"

"It's just, this is the first time I've heard you talk about yourself since I knew you." In that moment, ever so briefly, Kid felt like nothing had changed. Her smile faltered. "You've given up a lot for your father, haven't you?" He didn't say anything in response; so she settled down next to him, a knowing look in her eyes. "I-I don't understand much about the world." She admitted. "But once, a long time ago, when I felt bad; someone did something that made me feel better." Her arms nervously wrapped around his torso. Maybe this was what he wanted from her all those times. But he didn't move to hug her back. She pulled away suddenly. Maybe that wasn't if? What if she wasn't allowed to touch people, they would only touch her. "I'm sorry! I-I just thought that-" His face was bright red.

"No, it's not that." She had touched him, of her own volition. "I just wasn't expecting it. It was... nice." His heart was pounding a mile a minute. He gently took Crona's hand, if only to reassure her. Said pinkette glanced at the sky.

"Oh no, I've spent too much time here!" Crona squeaked. "I'm still in the middle of a mission!" Before she left his side, she paused. "You know my name, but I don't know what to call you the next time I see you." A smile melted across his face."I mean, that is, if you want to see me again."

"Yes, of course. I'm just glad you want to meet again. Tomorrow at sundown?" She nodded, "Until then Crona." He pecked the top her hand. "You may call me Shini." Crona nodded, rapidly, her face deep red.

"Yes, then," she stuttered, "G-good bye Shini-kun. Until tomorrow." She stumbled backwards and choked down her embarrassment to leave Claudia's barrier. She didn't know how she would deal with him if she had to erase him. So she wouldn't, somehow she would keep him by her side, even if she had to drag him down with her.

-8-0-8-

Soul and Maka stood before Shinigami-sama, their heads bowed. They had tried to intercept Crona on her way to Chernobyl, but didn't get three steps into the battle before the madness had started to effect Soul.

"I'm sorry we were unable to stop Crona." Maka professed. "I tried to latch onto Crona's wavelength, but I couldn't make it out through the madness." The shinigami nodded.

"I imagine the two conflicting wavelengths would cause some issues." He sighed and looked at the image of Ukraine covered in Crona's black blood. "It seems we can't turn a blind eye to this much longer."

"There is one more thing." Maka voiced. The shinigami turned. "We know where the Kishen is."

-8-0-8-

Crona sauntered into her home, her mind clouded by fatigue and the events of the day. She wanted to keep Shini with her, but the world she was striving for was void of anything, to cut off herself from everything for her mother's vision. Her fingers brushed over the locket under her dress. Did she want to break free from the path she was set on? But how?

"Crona you're home!" Medusa cooed from the kitchen. "I saw your battle with the death scythe, you were wonderful." Crona blinked in shock.

"Such a sad face." Medusa tsked. "I know what will cheer you up. I made your favorite dish tonight." The snake witch glided into the dining room. "A celebration of your triumph. Thanks to you my research is complete. I know growing up must have been difficult for you, but it was for your own good." Crona quietly ate her pasta. "I think it's time to tell you what your training was for." Medusa set down her cup to draw Crona's attention. "When I was a little girl, the wicken world was ruled over by the Wicken Queen Iroha."

"...Iroha?" Crona's head began to pound, that name sounded eerily familiar.

"She was born into a time when witches were executed in public or forced into hiding. But she saw something more in us, she believed that everyone was capable of doing something great." Medusa spoke with a bitter sweet fondness. "She was the most powerful witch in history, the only known sekaigami. Everyone knew she was going to change the way people perceived witches. That is until she met a young man, the extended heir to the underworld. She fell in love with him and desperately wanted to close the gap between witches and shinigami so she could marry him. But the council didn't care, when they chose her to be queen she had to decide between the witches or him. So she lied, and told them the only reason she wanted to marry him was to destroy the Book of the Dead. There was another witch that was fond of him, and in her jealousy, she told Death City what Iroha had told the council. The shinigami heir went on a rampage, Iroha-san tried to stop him, but he didn't believe in her anymore. That man became Lord Death, and he used his power to hunt down witches and force our kind to turn to dark, distorted magic to protect ourselves from him."

"What does this have to do with my training?" Crona dared to ask.

"Witches like have been around since the dawn of time, thought to be the byproduct of the ancients. Those first witches were weak in soul and in power, and later became the voodoo witches that scurry about the mundane world. But one woman was blessed with her own power, a witch said to have a winged soul much like Iroha's. They say she was the only one who could stand up to the ancients, but died long before she could do so. That woman was Pandora; your great, great grandmother;" Medusa elaborated, " and you have her magic within you. If Lord Death knew who you were, he would have destroyed you as a child. So I trained you to protect yourself from them. I gave up everything to keep you safe." Medusa smiled at the girl as she stood. "And the only way for you to stay safe, is to kill Lord Death." She was lying, she had to be. Her mother didn't care about her; her mother was cold and bitter. Everyone had an ulterior motive, everybody lied. Her purpose, the reason she was born, was to kill a god. That was the way the mother she knew thought. Then what was left once she killed Lord Death? "Then I can make up for all the time I had to be callous to you." She was lying. Medusa wrapped her arms around the girl. "We'll finally get to be family." It was a lie, one huge lie. This wasn't her mother, her mother would throw her away once she wasn't useful. She'd be forgotten and alone.

"NO!" Crona's sword dug into the witch. "Don't look at me with that disgusting smile and lie to my face. You gave up nothing!"

"Crona?" Medusa croaked. Crona pulled her sword back and towered above the witch.

"I didn't spend years of starvation and isolation to be your little tool for revenge." It couldn't be, there had to be something more. Shini-kun was out there, waiting for her.

"Crona, you don't understand-" Medusa stutter, but the wound tore at her consciousness.

"Well the jokes on you 'mother', your nothing without me." She stabbed Medusa again. "And I've out grown you." The snake witch dropped to the floor, the last thing she saw was her daughter standing tall and strong. Just like Medusa hoped she'd be.

"I love you." It was worth her daughter's loathing to know that she would be O.K.

Crona frowned at the form of her dead mother and took the soul in her hand. It was cold, like sleet in spring. She continued to stare at it like something was supposed to happen, some magical happy end. But the knotted energy just hovered in her hand. She had destroyed her mother's last mission.

"Here you go Ragnarok, dinner."

-8-0-8-

Kid was the last to arrive to his father's summons, but no one really noticed due to his reputation.

"Now that everybody's here I have a few announcements." Lord Death spoke. "Thanks to Maka and Soul, we now know the location of the Kishen. He's on the moon of all places, which makes things fairly difficult for us." The group frowned.

"Wha? The moon?" Kim exclaimed. "Maka, you can't be serious!"

"Soul and I both felt his wavelength clear as day." Maka insisted. "He's up there."

"But how will we get up there?" Tsubaki asked.

"We have a small craft," Lord Death supplied, "but the conditions up there will be tough. Kid you will be going with the death scythes to stop the Kishen."

"Sir." Black Star interjected. "With all due respect, I don't think Kid should go on this mission." Both shinigami stared at the ninja. "He's been rather unreliable as of late."

"Is that all?" Soul asked. "And this suggestion you have wouldn't happen to be related to other events?"

"No." Black Star defended. "But a true warrior listens to his keen instincts and my instincts tell me that Kid going would be a bad idea." The group began to bicker amongst themselves until Shinigami-sama interrupted.

"CHILDREN PLEASE! Yes, Tsubaki." The chain scythe lowered her hand which had been raised the whole time.

"What are the rest of us supposed to do?" She asked.

"In light of the recent events in the Ukraine, it had come to my attention that we should do something about Crona." The god sighed. "From this moment on she will be on Shibusen's list and her execution will be entrusted to you." The group was thrown into chaos once more.

"Shinigami-sama, please reconsider!" Maka begged. But the elder shinigami remained firm in his verdict. She looked to Kid who had a blank look and tarnished, bronze key around his neck.

"...What Crona did was unforgivable." Kid said smoothly. "She's killed hundreds of people now and has made a detrimental impact on the level of madness in the world." His friends stared at him in muffled shock. "Her disposal was inevitable." On the outside, he was the perfect son; on the inside, he was screaming.


	29. Poisoned With Love

**AN: And I'm back from the legion of homework with a new chapter. I haven't been feeling well, so this is a good way to get all my energy out without making myself sicker. The next chapter will be a tough one since I'll be writing for the clowns as well as everything else, definitely a lot of action coming up.**

***Review Response***

**Moonlightpheonix: **_**Ding Dong the witch is dead**_** XD It was fun writing for her, I hope what happened to her and Iroha was clear. The last thing I wanted to do was information bog the readers. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: Bwahahaha! Behold the strings I pull. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Big Sister K: Typically, Sekaigami have been associated with birds, Crona is not typical though. Her witch characteristics will follow that of a Dragon, though she'll have no familiar. Unless Ragnarok counts, he lost a great deal of humanity during the process and is acting on primal urges now. As Crona's soul has been growing, it's been putting internal pressure on his soul (like an over filled balloon) but the two can't touch (it causes extreme discomfort). All she needs is a trigger. As for the typo, I wasn't talking about Claudia, the word should have been 'us' (sorry about that). Voodoo witchcraft is simply older than the 'modern' witchcraft. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Thanks, I forgot to have the scene discussing Shishuben's occupation of innocent areas, but that too is a factor towards Kid's mistrust in his father. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

It was hard to think of his situation with any levity. Kid paced his room, the severity of his situation seemed to billow about the room as he thought. Crona was no longer a scared child in the eyes of Shibusen, she was a threat. In turn, he could no longer ignore what she'd done.

Now on the list, Crona was not allowed to associate with any member of the school. He was required to kill her the next time he saw her; which would be later tonight. The thought made him want to wretch, the idea that Crona would be dead within a week by Maka's hands. If anyone had to do it; he'd rather it be him. However, it was Maka's mission, not his. He would have to end his childish tryst now, before their next meeting. He could leave a note for her, that way he could explain why he wasn't there without having to kill her on the spot. He sat and carefully worded his letter.

_ Crona,_

_ I appreciate that you have come to meet me for the last few days. I wish I could have made it today, but my father made other plans. By the time you read this, I will be on a mission to deal with the Kishen. Due to the situation, I will probably never see you again. Goodbye._

_From your friend,_

_Shini_

He read the letter over and over again until the words were numb to him.

-8-0-8-

The church hall was dimly lit by a solitary candle on the floor. The Book of Eibon lay open on the altar, a projection of the index hovered over the flame. It was midnight and Gopher had long fallen asleep, giving Eibon the chance to speak with its creation.

"Your predecessor, Greed, failed to capture the Kishen. You will not do the same." It spoke. Wrath begrudgingly bowed his head. "If you bring me the body of the Kishen I will grant you your freedom, but I must have the body intact. A body that has fallen prey to madness can exchange souls with ease and without causing injury to either parties involved. Unlike a healthy soul, which clings to its host with seamless fissures." It hovered closer to Wrath. "Your research taught me this. With an empty host I can leave these pages to collect knowledge on my own."

"And the girl?" Wrath asked. "What is her part in all this?" Eibon tilted its head.

"You don't remember?" It hummed causing Wrath to growl. "Her purposed has already been fulfilled, proverbial garbage and utterly useless in every sense of the word, now." Wrath scowled at the creature and pointed an accusing finger.

"Simple English damn it!"

"Of course." It sighed. "She's already done her part, but insists on hanging around. Why she does this neither interests or concerns me." Wrath blinked, only comprehending part of what Eibon had told him. however, he was quite through with the matter and decided not to press further.

"We'll head out for the moon tomorrow." Wrath assured.

"Good," It watched as Wrath went to retire for the night. "Soon I will achieve what man has lusted for since the beginning of time. True immortality."

-8-0-8-

Kid touched down into the Sarcophagus, the letter tucked neatly in his jacket pocket. Their meeting place had been slowly cleared by his OCD, so there was little left to place the note on without a chance that she'd over look it. He sat on the only hunk of debris he couldn't budge and surveyed the area for a safe place to set the note.

"You're here early." Kid turned and saw Crona in a simple, black dress. She smiled at him. "I'm glad, I thought I would have to wait here alone." Her smile fell into a puzzled frown. Kid shouldn't have pressed, he should have left the note without speaking to her like he planned. Though, he was unarmed and no one would blame him if he didn't fight her. Besides, the lost look in her eyes begged him for an answer.

"What's wrong?" He remained seated and looked away, the less he invested himself, the easier it would be to leave.

"I-" She paused. "If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?" The answer was right in front of him, wrong as it was.

"Why?" He tried to sound uninterested.

"Well... I can now." She stated carefully. "But I don't know what to do." She was beside him now, he could feel the soft heat radiating from her skin. So close he could have reached out and touched her. But he couldn't look at her. If he looked at her, his efforts would be wasted.

"You should be able to make your own decisions." He relented. It was her decision to return to Medusa, to murder all those people... to meet him. He couldn't afford to think like that now. She was on the list, forever branded as an enemy. If he left now, he could convince himself of it in a few months. His hand started to go for the note, but froze when thin arms wrapped around him. "W-what are you doing?" He made the mistake of looking at her. Her sculpted chin rested on his shoulder, face flushed from her actions. A timid, yet playful smile played across her lips.

"I'm making my own decisions." His arms had somehow crawled up her back to rest just above her hips. "Umm... There is one more thing I'd like to do." She pulled away, and his heart leapt into his throat. "I saw someone do this once... promise you won't laugh."

Kid nodded in transfixed agreement only to be stopped once more by Crona's gentle touch. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. The contact was brief; but she pulled away slowly, her breath ghosted over his own as she did so. Kid saw her feature pinched in anticipated fear of rejection. He had to force himself to let her go, least he kiss her back to diminish her fears. Crona tentatively opened her eyes to see Kid hide his expression behind his bangs, face still a brilliant red.

"Shini-kun?" Crona asked. "Shini-kun say something." His hands lingered on hers as he pulled away and stood.

"You have to go." He said quietly. Crona shook her head, utterly confused. "Listen to me. There aren't many people who can take care of the Kishen due to his location. I'm one of the few people who can do something about it. It's not safe for anyone to be outside alone. You need to find someplace to hide, someplace familiar until the madness dies down." she nodded, more confused than ever. She had felt it flicker before her; his soul was guarded and damp, reluctant to let anyone in. Yet he had insisted that she meet him here on several occasions. Her lips pursed into a small frown; why would he care what happened to her while he was gone.

"I understand." The temptation was too great for Kid to stifle, he stole a brief kiss from her lips.

"Be safe, O.K." He pleaded. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if someone else hurt her. It would be better if he dealt with this himself, he had to. Reluctantly he left her side and clenched the key around his neck. Bits of rust flaked off in his hand from the withered metal. He left the sarcophagus and didn't look back, the letter still in his pocket.

-8-0-8-

The small group watched as the Death Scythes prepared to leave for the moon. Shinigami-sama had prepared a huge ship for the mission, enhanced by some of the magic tools Kid had collected. The bulkiness of the technology would make them easy to spot, but then again, this mission was no secret. The madness had to stop once and for all, an idea which Maka couldn't agree with more. Since the Kishen's release, all of her friends had been acting strange. Between Black Star's paranoia and Kid's withdrawal, she was ready to tear her hair out.

It was the method that she didn't agree with. The Kishen had to be brought down, but Crona was another story entirely. She had saved the girl from her own madness before and Maka was confident she could do it again with the help of her friends. As long as they were on this mission she would do everything in her power to save her friends.

"Come on guys, let's go." Maka declared the group hummed in grim agreement and collected their things. Black Star however continued to stare at the ship, Kid specifically. "Black Star?"

"Black Star are you alright?" Tsubaki asked.

"Hunh? Oh, yeah... Yeah I'm fine." He turned to the group and thrusted his fist in the air. "Let's do this!" Despite his cheer, he couldn't shake the sinking feeling that had settled in his stomach. The books, the disappearances, the illusion created by Kid in the Book of Eibon; all added up to something, though he didn't know what. The whole thing left him with an eerie sense of Deja vu, not befitting the instincts of a warrior.

-8-0-8-

Kid solemnly changed into his Spartoi uniform, mindless of where he placed the folded clothes. They would be on the moon in a few hours. Before Kid could open the door to leave, it swung open. Patty tackled Kid to the floor an odd look on her face.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked in a deep voice.

"I should be the one asking you!" Kid wheezed. "Could you get off my chest?" She complied, but ignored his comment otherwise.

"You said goodbye wrong!" She declared. "How can you say goodbye wrong?" She was referring to the casual farewell to their friends before setting off.

"How indeed?" Kid pulled himself off the ground and accepted Liz's apologetic glance. "I believe I said goodbye to everyone."

"Yeah, but where was the hug and kiss for Maka? When two people are in love, they kiss each other goodbye before going on dangerous missions." Kid grew stiff as images of Crona threatened to spill to the forefront of his mind.

"Maka and I aren't in love." Kid said hollowly. "We're just friends."

"But she's your fiancé!"

"Patty," Liz interjected, "I think the mechanics are having an arm wrestling competition. why don't you go show them who's boss?" Patty froze before giggling and running out the door. Liz sighed and sat on the bed, patting a spot beside her for Kid to sit. "Sorry about that. I think Patty's been watching those cheesy romaction movies again." She gave the silent reaper a pat on the back. "I know that's not the only thing that's been bothering you." After a pause, Kid decided to ask for Liz's help.

"Have you ever wondered if what you were doing, was the right thing?"

"Oh all the time." Liz chuckled. "What to buy, what to wear, who to trust." She looked out the window at the clouds that passed by. "When me and Patty were on the streets, all we had to rely on was each other. I won't lie, what we did was wrong, but at the time it was the only thing we knew. So we justified our actions by telling ourselves we were doing the right thing to keep us safe. Then you came along.

"To be honest, I thought you were going to trick us and have us arrested. If that happened, there was a good chance Patty would end up in foster care where I'd never see her again. It would have been much easier to turn around and keep going on like we did."

"What made you change your mind?" Kid asked.

"My opinion didn't change until much later." Liz admitted. "About six months, I think."

"But then- Why did you stay?" Kid asked, flabbergasted. "What about honor? Order? Protecting your sister?"

"I didn't think about it." Liz shrugged. "I mean, I did think of it, but it wasn't why I stayed. The only thing I wanted most was to make sure that Patty was happy and my heart told me that you were the best way to get what I wanted." She stood and gave him a hug. "If you're in a jam like that, stop thinking and listen to what your heart tells you."

-8-0-8-

"Is everybody here?" Shinigami asked, "Where's- Oh there you are Kid. Nice necklace." He commented on the cast iron key that hung around the boy's neck.

"Father, please." Kid sighed.

"Alright then. You will be approaching the moon shortly." He instructed through the mirror. "Azusa has detected several clowns in the area. It is very important to keep your soul resonances tight due to their parasitic nature. In addition, these clowns are organic based, you'll have to take out the heart and the brain in order to destroy them."

"How do you know they are organically based?" Kid asked.

"I've been around a long time." He replied. Kid was not satisfied with the answer. All clowns he had seen were robotic and previously, thought all were. How would his father know there were other types, unless he had known Claudia or used the Book of Eibon himself. "Which reminds me, Asura will not be anticipating our attack. Once he notices you're there, you'll have about thirty minutes maximum before he retaliates. You'll need to move quickly and efficiently. Good luck all!" Shinigami touched the top of the mirror and the image disappeared.

His son's recent behavior concerned him, almost a regression back to the way he was before he attended Shishuben. The engagement didn't seem to help either, and despite his best efforts, his son had lost faith in him. It bother the elder shinigami, not that his son had begun to drift away from him, but that Kid seemed unhappy while doing so. The last thing he wanted, was for his little boy to grow up too fast.


	30. In the Heat of Chaos

**AN: I got the next chapter out on time? What? Well here it is. I'm really excited to post the next chapter as well, things start to really spice up from there. Oh, sorry about the horrendous typos in the last chapter, I had to go back and fix those. When I saw it I wanted to head-desk. That's what I get for typing while sick. Here's the next chapter, enjoy.**

***Review Response***

**Chabeli05: Yep, they sure did. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Maybe, she is having issues lately. Too bad Liz gives great advice. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Everyone was eager to get off the ship the moment it had landed. Partly because of the final battle to come and partly because the ship was full to capacity. When they finally congregated outside, there was nothing. Endless white met their eyes, oddly pristine considering the circumstances. They began to move forward, the madness that shrouded the moon was stifling. Stein held out his arm to halt the group's advance and took a few cautious steps forward to test the area. In an instant a hose shot out of the ground and coiled around his legs. He jumped in time to avoid the strike.

"We've been ambushed!" Stein warned. Clowns crawled out of the ground and begun to attack the recruits that arrived with the Death Scythes. Stein blocked a drop kick from an armless clown. Brilliant yellow hair concealed her eyes, the bottom half of her legs razor sharp stingers.

"He who dares enter Claudia's domain," it spoke through sharp teeth, "shall face the wrath of the Kishen." Stein prepared to attack with a Soul Menace, but the yellow and black clown anticipated it and jumped out of reach.

-8-0-8-

Maka sighed and gently brushed Soul's hands off her shoulders. They had pinpointed and area of Italy where the madness seemed to spike. However, Maka couldn't find Crona's wavelength.

"There are too many people, I can't sense her." Truth be told, she had lost touch with Crona's wavelength through the ever growing wall of madness. Their goal was to find Crona and have Maka pass her own judgment on her. They couldn't do that very well if Crona was nowhere to be found.

"We'll find her Maka," Tsubaki assured, "there's only so many places she could be."

"Sure, we'll just start wandering around;" Soul snorted, "'Excuse me have you happened to see a demon sword anywhere?'"

"You're not helping Soul." Kim groaned. Black Star clapped his hands.

"O.K. Maka, time for a crash course in the way of the assign." He declared.

"What about her Soul perception?" Ox asked.

"Silence non-believer! I know what I'm doing." He pointed at everyone. "Now turn away, this is an exclusive lesson! Except you Tsubaki, you know this already." He turned to Maka. "Now I want you to close your eyes and focus, not on souls, but what I'm about to tell you." He whispered his next instruction into her ear. "The assassin's second rule. Tune into your target; predict his thoughts and actions." Maka gave him a confused look.

"What about the first rule?" She asked at normal volume.

"Ah! That's not important right now." Black Star dismissed, then frowned at her. "Now close your eyes and focus; focus is key." Maka took a deep breath. Crona wouldn't run off to someplace unfamiliar. She go someplace dark, secluded; a place where she would know she'd be safe. It was difficult, Maka only knew a few places from the last time she had come to Florence. Then it hit her, the last time she was in Florence she had met Crona for the first time.

"We have to check the Basilica." Maka declared. "If she's still in this town, then that's where she'd go." The gang set off toward the church.

-8-0-8-

Noah and Gopher had been a few yards away from where the ambush had taken place. All it took was a few steps to separate themselves from the huge battle that had begun.

"Well, well, well; If it isn't Dr. Skitzo and his monster." A dual tones voice chuckled. "I hadn't expected to see you again." Half of the man's face was enveloped in fire. Gopher's frown instantly deepened.

"Justin?" She murmured.

"In the flesh;" Justin cackled, "White Rabbit, make quick work of her. I'll take care of 'Eibon'." The priest had long since fused with his clown partner to serve the Kishen. He tried to end the battle quickly with a simple guillotine trap, but Noah was like a rat and broke free from the trap before the blade could reach him. Moonlight's voice rang in Justin's head; just as Noah opened the book, Justin launched a blade at the forming monster. "It will take more than a few cheap tricks to obtain Kishen-sama."

"I don't have time for this!" Noah spat. A few yards away Gopher battle with the White Rabbit. She wanted to help Noah, but every time she begun to charge a blast the clown would dissipate and reappear elsewhere. It was as if it could tell when she was going to attack. A chuckle from behind her startled her; she whipped around, soul wings drawn. A throwing knife fell into two pieces at her feet. The clown was inches away from her face, a sick grin splayed across its face.

"What a beautiful soul you have."

-8-0-8-

Crona stared at the stained glass of the church. In the silence, she was left to her thoughts. Soon the world would be back in order, when this happened there would be no place for her. She would undoubtedly die, but she didn't want to now. Her gaze drifted to the white roses on the table. She wanted to continue to feel and discover all the things her mother kept from her. But what of Lord Death, what of the limit on her life; what could she do if they were still around?

"Crona!" She turned to see a girl in the door way of the church.

"Who are you?" The girl seemed familiar, yet shocked by her answer.

"Come on, you know me." Did she? "You don't have to stay here. I can help you." Wait, a name did come to mind.

"Maka..." Yes that seemed right, even though everything else felt so very wrong; a faint brush of her old life and the corruption that had poisoned it from within.

"Yes!" The girl declared. "I knew you'd recognized me. Shinigami-sama has his doubts, but I'm sure we can clear that up fast." No! That was a lie, he wanted her dead. "Come back to Shibusen with us. I'll make sure no one hurts you again."

"I can't." She didn't belong there, in the old world that was returning. She was obsolete in that world, doomed to fade away and disappear.

"But why?" She didn't want to leave. "You got along with everyone and everything! You were on your way to becoming a real student like us." She didn't want to die.

"Don't you get it?" She grimaced. "I killed my own mother, the only thing left that tied me too that time. I can't survive in you order anymore. What's done is done." The pressure in her soul was building, either she or Ragnarok would suffer.

"Y-you killed Medusa?" Maka trembled.

"I couldn't even dream how free I would feel." Crona frowned. "But it was wrong, I know that. People who do bad things get punished... people who help people do bad things get punished. That is the way your world works. I don't want to live in a world like that." But she wanted to live!

Maka took a step backward. Ragnarok's soul was no longer large enough to conceal Crona's wavelength. The side of his soul tore before her eyes. A jagged wing emerged through the tear. Crona screamed in pain, faintly remembering something from before. _If you ever change your mind, you need the soul of a Kishen-_ Of course, she needed the Kishen's soul to destroy the old world. Wipe everything clean and start from nothingness.

"Crona!" Maka cried. "Crona are you alright?" She wanted to rush to her side. The pinkette had been still after the tear.

"I don't remember you." Crona finally said. "But I knew that you would find me and that you were sent for a reason. I don't want to hurt you." She walked past her. "Goodbye Maka."

"Crona, no." Maka reached out and touched Crona's shoulder. However, Maka forgot how the girl reacted the first time she came in contact with an anti magic wavelength. This time the reaction was more violent. It sped up the process of her separation from Ragnarok. Crona's soul violently ripped itself from out of Ragnarok's soul. The wings extended to their full width.

"Don't touch me!" Crona hissed. Thorns coiled in her shadow, the wings of her soul were lined with them as well. "I have to go now, I can't get what I want alone and I'm tired of hurting people."

"Y-you don't have to. We're here for you Crona, we can help you. If you'd only let us-"

"I don't need your help." Crona insisted. "Goodbye Maka."

-8-0-8-

Kid had tried to find the Kishen, but his path out of the fray was block by a clown. A woman bare, save for a bat like cloak, blocked all his exits with a ring of fire.

"I'm not going to let a naughty boy like you hurt Onii-san!" The clown scolded.

"Who are you?" Kid demanded.

"So bold!" She blushed. "I'll have you know it's inappropriate to ask women such questions. We are the children of Claudia. The soulless creations made to protect our big brother. Now that he's free, we won't let you have him. Our strength is unwavering." Kid shot Kaguya repeatedly, but she dodged with ease. Stein turned briefly from his tangle with the two clowns to notice the clown Moonlight overhead and the thin fissures it had placed on everyone's souls.

"Kid, our attacks are being predicted by that clown. Take it down!" Moonlight was too high above the battle field for Stein's to reach.

"Why don't you just reverse the fissures?" Spirit asked.

"It would be like shocking a lake. Everyone it's tuned into would be effected. We just need to jar its concentration."

Kaguya went to kick Kid, he rolled to the right and charged his soul cannons.

"SOUL RESONANCE!" Kid and his weapons cried. Moonlight was not nimble enough to dodge; Kaguya and another clown got caught in the blast as well. When the smoke cleared the three clowns as lay motionless and charred. Finally Shibusen had the upper hand, clowns were being defeated left and right. Until a hand grabbed Kid's leg.

"I was rather fond of that outfit, you shouldn't let your lust get the better of you." The clowns were regenerating.

-8-0-8-

Noah had been reduced to fighting Justin with his fists, which to his credit, was rather effective. Justin wasn't agile in the least when he was using his weapon abilities. He did manage to get a fairly deep cut on his arm from the guillotine.

"I should have died in that church." Justin hissed. "At least then I would have died a whole person. But no, you had to save me, made me question why I was the one who got to survive out of all those innocent men, me. Well now I know, so I guess I should thank you as well."

"What are you talking about?" Noah demanded.

"My purpose!" Justin cackled. "I'll spread madness across the world and open eyes of those still trapped in their failed 'reality'."

"I don't care what you do," Noah growled, "as long as I get the Kishen."

"And therein lies the problem." A blade jumped up at Noah from the dirt. "It's a shame really, you would have been a great asset to us." Noah dodged and swiftly kicked Justin in the head.

"I'm no one's puppet!" The kick sent Justin a good three yards back. After which he didn't move. "I'm not." He mumbled, then turned to collect Gopher.

Gopher was not too far off, her body littered with small nicks and cuts from White Rabbit's throwing knives. She blocked the assault the best she could with her soul wings. However, the clown was far from finished. It would heal after each strike.

"Come on!" Noah demanded. "We don't have time for time!"

"I'm sorry Noah-sama!" She glanced at him."Nothing I do seems to-" She saw Justin raise an arm loaded with blades. "Noah-sama, behind you!" She leapt and shoved the man out of the way. She staggered and glared at Justin, her face pinched into a tearful frown.

"Idiot." She scowled. She sent loose a soul wing and effectively cut Justin in half. Justin smiled sadly, a small piece of the world had righted itself.

"What the hell was that for!?" Noah shouted. "I can care for myself, I don't need some half-pint pushing me around." Noah tapered off at the end when Gopher didn't start begging for forgiveness. "Hey-" she pitched forward and fell on the ground. Two of Justin's blades had caught her, one down her back and another diagonally along her chest. Yet another piece in the chaos.

-8-0-8-

Moonlight had tried to retaliate to Kid's attack, but it sliced Kaguya on accident. One of the mechanics rushed out through the countless fights.

"Kid!"

"What?" Kid asked. He leapt from the dying flames and away from Kaguya's grasp.

"We have received orders for you to return to the airship immediately. Your father wishes to speak with you."

"Now? Have you seen this mess!?" Kid shouted. He shot two more clowns while he rebutted. "I can't leave now."

"Listen to your father and return to the airship." Stein shouted over the fray.

"You want me to fall back as well?" Kid scowled.

"The Death Scythes can take care of the situation for a while, until you're done talking with Shinigami-sama. Now go back."

"If there's time for me to talk with my father, then there's time to find the Kishen." Kid snarled.

"Sir, no. My orders were to bring you back to the airship." The mechanic insisted. "You must come with me." They didn't have much time before the Kishen awoke. At the rate they were going, they couldn't afford to lose man power.

"I'm not going." He was no longer a child, he didn't trust his father's judgment anymore.

"But sir!" Kid summoned Beelzebub and hurtled through the distracted clowns and hopefully to the Kishen.


	31. The Final Dream

**AN: Woot! Things are finally kicking up. If you read the description of Crona's room all the way back in Chapter 2 and 3 it will all make sense. ^^ I'm so glad to finally get this chapter up, the next one will be even more juicy. CX I'm not through with the story yet! Anyway, here's the next chapter. I took my dear sweet time making it, so it should be better quality. Should be... . Let me know if it isn't. A mistake during the climax of a story is inexcusable. **

***Review Response***

**Chabeli05: Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Noah stared in shock as Gopher bled on the ground. In the corner of his eye he could see Kid speed off and had a good idea where he was going. As a mere facet of a human being, he did not have a full emotional range or complete memory. But he did know that Gopher wasn't supposed to die unless he decided so. The Kishen was stirring, only a few minutes remained until it awoke. He growled in frustration and helped Gopher to her feet, her arm slung over his shoulder. He began to guide Gopher towards the Kishen.

"N-noah-sama?"

"Shut-up! Every time you talk, you bleed." He growled. "Don't die, that's an order."

-8-0-8-

In front of a cave a small clown sat, the smallest Kid had ever seen, with the stature of a cherub and the make-up of a mime. It stood abruptly a Kid's arrival, poised to fight. Slowly, it dropped its guard.

"You are looking for something, yes?" Kid frowned.

"What does it matter if I'm looking for something?"

"Then I can help!" It bowed curtly. "I am Noir, finder at lost things; it's why I was made. What are you looking for?"

"Step aside McMidget!" Patty bellowed from her weapon form. "We need to get through."

"Patty, calm down." Kid eyed the clown. "We are looking for the Kishen." It bounced.

"O.K. then, this way." It pointed into the cave and stepped away. Liz glanced at the clown and trembled at the sinister shark-toothed grin it wore. "Onii-sama wants to talk with you."

"Kid, this isn't a good idea." Liz sputtered. "We don't have enough people to face the Kishen. We should go back and talk with Shinigami-sama."

"The Kishen is responsible for the clowns' revival. We destroy it and we destroy the clowns."

"Onee-san's right Kid." Patty pouted. "I want to fight too, but back up wouldn't hurt."

"We need to at least try." Kid insisted. "It's three against one, there's no way the Kishen's coming out unharmed."

"I don't want to leave." A voice echoed through the cavern.

-8-0-8-

Shinigami-sama paced back and forth. Finally his mirror flickered, and the interior of the airship rippled into view.

"I'm sorry sir." The mechanic wailed. "I told him, told him to come- back- but he- and-"

"Slow down, slow down." Shinigami soothed. "Let me talk to Kid." The mechanic stood, his voice gone. He tried to speak, then took a deep breath.

"I-I can't. I told him to return to the airship, but he ran off to find the Kishen instead. We're so outnumbered here- I don't know if we can send someone off to retrieve him."

"Then try!" Shinigami bellowed. "I don't want to hear from you until you've found my son!" He ripped the image away and hit the mirror. It cracked only to mend itself.

"Shinigami-sama," Azusa sighed, "we'll find him. He has his weapons, he'll be fine... Why are you so worried."

"The tool." He finally spoke. "Kid was wearing the last magic tool of Eibon. It absorbs madness from the soul. Once removed, all of the madness would gradually flow back to the owner and return to its original gleaming gold." But the key around Kid's neck was pitch black and withered. He needed to get Kid away from the madness on the moon before the key became over saturated.

-8-0-8-

The cave walls around Kid bleed, the sign of the Kishen seemed to dance around the room in sketchy white. Asura's voice echoed around the cave from all angles.

"This is my home now, Lord Death is the one who should leave. He's old, ugly; a beast in sheep's clothing."

"How dare you insult my father!" Kid growled. "Come out and show yourself!" Asura cackled at him.

"I'm surprised you still work for him; he's a very bad man." The cackling grew louder. "You of all people should know this."

"Sh-shut up!" Kid didn't need to hear this now. "He's the god of order. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to uphold that order."

"Kid," Liz trembled, "what are you doing?" Asura's laughter grew louder. "Who are you talking to?"

"...the Kishen." Kid looked at his guns, "Who else?"

"Order is a made up thing," Asura glowered. "he who makes order makes the rules."

"Don't you hear that?" Kid asked his guns.

"But the rules aren't fair." Asura wailed. "They took my mother and put her into a deep sleep. She won't wake up no madder how strongly I call."

"Kid," Patty said with concern, "there's nothing there." Kid could see the walls of the cave moving in. Eyes looked down on him from all directions. A mixture of whispering and sinister laughter filled the cave.

"Your mother won't wake up either." Asura stated.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Kid shouted. Slowly he opened his eyes; the cave was back to normal and the whispers had stopped. Kid took deep breaths to calm his heart.

"Kid, we should get out of here. You don't look good." Liz chided.

"No." Kid commanded. "I know he's in here and I'm going to take him down."

"Why are you so mad?" Asura cawed. His voice silenced the small group. "All I did was tell the truth. I don't understand!"

"Kid-" Patty began. The Kishen's voice now rang tangibly through the space.

"He's further back in the cave." Kid stated. "Let's go."

"Kid, this really-"

"Why are people so hard to understand?" Asura raged. The ground below felt like it had turned to jello. The air filled with the stench of rancid meat. "You want people to be honest, yet yell at me when I am."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kid insisted.

"You don't remember?" Asura said carefully. Hushed whispers flood the air once more. "You should. You were one of the few who saw what happened when the new world order was born. That is, until they locked you up where no one would find you."

"Kid don't listen to him!" Patty encouraged. "He's just speaking nonsense. Let's shoot him now!" But Asura continued.

"If only your mother knew what happened, "Asura sneered, "it would break her heart." The key around Kid's neck snapped in half, its teeth crumbled to the floor. In an instant Kid saw the scenes from his nightmares, only they weren't nightmares antmore, they were his memories.

Flash -o- Back

Kid's eyes dragged away from the mirror when another explosion shook the temple. He began to run toward the double doors his disheveled mother left through. A loud, crisp voice boomed outside.

"I warned you witch," it howled, "never to cross my path again! Where is it?"

"Mortis, please I don't know what you're talking about!" Iroha cried. "These witches have done nothing to you, call off the attack! I-I don't want to fight you. Not again."

"Don't play coy with me. You and your Anti-Shibusen organization have been building a deadly weapon. You've been working on it for months and now it's been completed."

"I'd never do that, you know me!" Kid tried to push on the door harder, but it wouldn't budge. "When will you stop this senseless violence!" Kid dropped to his hands and knees to peak through the crack in the door. His mother clung to the front of a man in black with a skull face. Three white lines coiled around his head. "Mortis, I haven't done anything wrong...trust me." She begged, stepping away from the door.

"You lost my trust long ago." The man swung his scythe through her with ease, traces of red remained on the scythe and the door. The man reached through her chest and pulled out a shredded soul. He cradled it in his hand, fragments of it floated up and dissolved. When the last scrap of her soul vanished the man turned away. "Destroy everything." He commanded.

Kid stumbled away from the door, his breath reduced to stuttered gasps. Gradually, his shocked gaze drifted to his hands, spattered with the blood of his mother. A strangled cry ripped from his throat. Outside the temple, one of the miesters heard Kid's scream. He alerted another member of the assault team and the two of them broke down the door.

"Hey look, there's a kid here." A man with red hair said with concern.

"Maybe it's the weapon Eibon was developing." The other said.

"We can't just leave him here." He took Kid by the arm.

"Shinigami-sama won't allow it." His partner reminded.

"Well, make something up to get him to allow it; the man's not thinking clearly right now." He sighed. "I'm not going to let a child suffer because of that." The two of them took Kid away from Grimoire only to hide him in one of the dungeons of Shibusen as a suspected Kishen. It was dank and cold; the furniture was haphazardly shoved into corners, unlike his home, which was always neatly symmetric. He tried a number of times to move the furniture, but it was all bolted to the floor. Two whole years he spent fruitlessly tugging at the bed, but it never budged, never changed. He lost track of time, when he finally decided to venture to the other side of the room. All that was there was a bolted desk and a sink with a mirror. He knew he must have looked awful, mother always made him wash vigorously so he wouldn't. His heart sank as he remembered his mother.

_ 'As long as my little boy is perfect, I'll be happy.' _But he wasn't, he was dressed in blood stained clothes from years prior. His hands blistered from his fight with the bolted decor_._

_ 'There are people in this world, who are very bad people.' _His gaze drifted to the glass mirror. A sallow face reflected back at him with dull amber eyes. They widened when he saw his hair.

_ 'Promise me you won't become one of those people.' _Three white stripes covered half of his bangs. Just like the man who killed him mother. He wasn't like that man, he didn't want to see!

_**'Just look at you-'**_The mirror shattered under his fist as his mind broke. He didn't want to be like the bad man, he wanted his mother back. He stumbled away from the broken glass and fell at the corner of the table. He tried to lift himself, but was weakened from his sobbing; the memory of his mother leaving to her death, still fresh in his mind.

"I'll be perfect mommy!" He sobbed. "I'll be perfect, I swear! Just don't leave me~!"

Flask -o- Back -o- End

"Kid, what's happening!?" Patty shouted.

"Let go!" Liz cried. Both of Kid's weapons had transformed back into their human forms and tried to pull free of his grasp. Electricity surged around their bodies from the touch. The whispers in the background grew clearer.

_ 'Guess who's back, dressed in black, come to take her soul back.'_ Kid stalked toward Asura, his partners dragged along.

_'He says come, let's have some fun, open the box, the game's begun.'_ Liz wrenched her hand free and pulled her sister away from him. Patty clung to her sister as Kid continued forward.

"Why did out wave lengths clash?" Patty murmured. Kid reached Asura, madness oozed from both of them. He tilted his head at the shinigami, confused by his silence. Tendrils of skin built a multifaceted barrier between the two.

"Stay away from me!" Asura declared. Liz shrieked as it appeared that Kid was melting as he approached the Kishen, but the guns remained fixed to the spot in fear. The Kishen jolted and took on a less human form in an attempt to scare off Kid.

_'What an act, her blood is black, she'll never get her soul back.'_

"You have something I need." Kid accused. "Shadow Skull Arms." Black Skulls broke out of the Earth and sunk sharp teeth into the demon god's flesh. Asura let out a mixture between a cackle and a howl.

"That doesn't work on me." Asura hissed. He launched himself at Kid. "You disgusting little monster, get out of my sight." He gurgled and shot a beam from his weapon at point blank. He waited for the smoke to clear before moving. He didn't see Kid though, he saw Claudia with open arms.

"Honey," she cooed, "I'm sorry I had to leave you all alone." Asura faltered at the sight of the albino witch.

"Mother?" Asura said slowly. "You...you look strange." He couldn't feel the life behind her gaze.

"It's O.K. I'm here now. No one will ever hurt you again." Asura reached out to her. "I'll make sure of it." Her hand clenched around his throat. "Divine Sentence, Sixth Degree!" The image of Claudia broke into shards as Kid took her place, the final line had connected. The Kishen's body sizzled under Kid's grasp, narcotizing the flesh. Soon all that was left was a skeleton coursing with black blood. Kid reach through Asura's rib cage, black blood crawled up his arm and constricted. Despite Asura's feeble struggles, Kid pulled the soul free, with it, any animation left in the bones.

It was finally over.


	32. Knight in Dark Armor

**AN: HAPPY THANKS GIVING! Someone asked who Kid and Crona were related to, so I've included a, hopefully helpful, family tree to dispel all doubts after the chapter.**

**Chabeli05: I understand, glad you liked it. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: Sorry, the Rhyme also mentions Hades; which was the parallel I was trying to draw. I can't reveal more about the curse without spoiling the story. Unfortunately both Crona and Kid have fallen into madness. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

"Shinigami-sama!" The mirror cheered. "The Kishen has fallen!" Lord Death halted his pacing. "The clowns have started to die off, we've finally got the upper hand." Relief slowly washed over him; one of two problems were gone.

"Finish off the clowns, then call everyone back." He ordered.

"Yes sir!"

"Finally, there's a light at the end of the tunnel." Shinigami sighed. "I just hope Kid's O.K." Azusa barely nodded in agreement. Despite the report of Asura's death, the level of madness in the world had only dropped minutely. She didn't have the heart to tell him this. It had been too long since Lord Death had something to look forward to.

-8-0-8-

"You did it Kid!" Liz cheered. "I can't believe you actually did it!"

"That was totally awesome!" Patty giggled.

"And stupid!" Liz was torn between slapping the shinigami and jumping with Patty. "You could have been killed. But you didn't, and he's dead-"

"I totally didn't see that coming!" Patty jumped up and down. "You were all GRR! And he was all RAWR! And then you went BOOM! And he was all NOO!" Kid slowly turned, soul in hand. "And then you won! High five!" Calmly, he walked past the excited guns.

"Kid, are you alright?" Liz asked, but he continued to ignore them and left the cave, his eyes trained at the sky. "Kid what's wrong?" Liz jogged ahead to match his pace.

"Yeah, what's up?" Patty pointed. "The air ship's that'a way."

"I'm waiting." Kid finally spoke.

"Well then," Liz said cautiously, "let's go wait with the others. Your father's going to give his next orders... Kid?" The luminous dust was blown away as black wings flapped to a halt.

"Darling." Crona purred.

-8-0-8-

Though completely dissolved, Noah could still salvage the pieces of the destroys Kishen if he could just get to them in time.

"Wait here," Noah whispered, he dropped Gopher onto the ground. She fell in a heap on the floor. Her sudden collision with the ground startled him. He glanced to see her motionless on the floor. "Hey, hey wake up." But she didn't stir, she had lost too much blood. Wrath looked back to the pile of what used to be the Kishen and growled. "You owe me big kid." He picked her up and used a page of Eibon to leave the moon. He'd deal with the aftermath later.

-8-0-8-

Madness was a funny thing. You could tell you had changed, but it didn't seem as negative as everyone made it seem. Kid could remember everything with clarity, his movements were his own. But the things he had once worried and cared about, didn't seem to matter as much.

"You have something I need." Crona languidly came to a rest on the ground. He was far from hostile, though the change in appearance was mildly alarming. Thin stripes of black were painted down his lips, his clothes wild and tattered at the end. He held out the Kishen soul to her.

"Then it's yours."

"Kid," Liz shouted, "what are you doing?" Kid seemed to look down on her.

"I'm taking your advice." He drawled. "I'm tired of second guessing everything I'm doing."

"Kid, this isn't what I meant." Liz sputtered. "That kind of thinking works with OCD or relationship problems, not this!" She gestured wildly. "Crona's been put on Shinigami's list, we- we can't just hand her the soul of the Kishen, it's against the rules!" Kid looked from his partners to Crona and back.

"I think I finally get it now." Kid said with a sad smile. Liz and Patty sighed with relief. "Sometimes you really have to break the rules to protect the ones you love."

-8-0-8-

The mirror in Shinigami's observatory light up. He was greeted by Stein. Behind the scythe miester, people scrambled with their weapons in confused panic.

"We have a problem." Stein said calmly. "The Kishen's soul is missing, along with Kid." Shinigami stood back in shock. "We have an idea where it is, but I figured you'd want to know what's going on."

"I understand." Shinigami said with controlled breaths. "Tell everyone to fall back. We'll regroup as fast as possible." He turned from the mirror. "Azusa, find Maka and the others. Tell them to return to Shishuben as well."

-8-0-8-

Noah had Gopher splayed on the alter of the old church. He hastily unbound the first of the makeshift bandages and prepared a solution for her wounds. The noxious fumes caused Gopher to flit in and out of consciousness. He pulled at the frogs of her shirt, which caused the girl to mutter a weak protest.

"Relax," Noah huffed, "there's nothing here I haven't seen before." He pulled off the shirt to get better access to the wound, only to be surprised by the discoloration of her skin. He applied the solution of the gash and the stain. In an instant the magic melded the two edges together making a seamless mend. But the stain remained. He tried a number of salves and potions, but none of them could remove the large blemish. He growled and moved on to the other gashes; when she was well enough, she'd have to soak in a sealant to set the potions. However, he wasn't as concerned about that. Someone, he didn't know who, had laid their hands on her; and she had let them. The moment those cursed eyes opened, he would get answers.

-8-0-8-

The group stood before Shinigami-sama, and for once, were nervous in his presence. The shinigami took a deep breath before speaking.

"What happened?" His voice was dreadfully low. Maka was the first to step forward.

"Crona killed Medusa." She relented. "I'm not positive, but I think she fed her mother's soul to Ragnarok. She kept talking about how she wouldn't survive if things went back to the way they were."

"So she anticipated your arrival?" Lord Death sighed.

"Yes, and she- her soul has changed. When she left, she wasn't relying on Ragnarok to fly. We were going to follow after her, but received orders to return before we could catch up."

"Kid changed to." Patty sniffled. "We went to fight the Kishen, and he kept talking to him. Then he lost it and we couldn't resonate with him anymore. I don't know what happened."

"Kid isn't one to do something for no reason." Soul commented. "There had to have been something that set him off."

"Wait," Liz remembered, "the Kishen said something that freaked Kid out. He said that Kid was locked away in Shibusen." She looked at Lord Death, "But that wasn't true, was it?" Shinigami searched his mind for the right answer. He had tried for so long to hide what happened long ago. The last thing he wanted was for Kid's friends, of all people, to know. He had to choose his words carefully, it would be dangerous to lie this late in the game.

"There was a time, when Kid and Asura's roles were reversed." Shinigami sighed. "To a certain degree; Asura was too old to be my son, but we found Kid in the care of his mother and thought she made him to be a weapon against Shibusen. I was busy with other business for a while, it wasn't until he was seven that I met him for the first time."

Flash-o-Back

As a shinigami, Mortis was well aware of the state of every mirror in the school. So when the mirror in the dungeon broke, he immediately scanned for the soul of the perpetrator. He was shocked to find the soul of a shinigami was responsible for the damage. He immediately ordered that the child be brought before him.

"Why is he hiding?" He asked Spirit who had the child clinging to his leg.

"Children don't speak a foreign language Lord Death, you could ask him yourself." Spirit shrugged. The shinigami sighed and crouched to Kid's level.

"...hey, err... what's your name?" He asked. Kid buried his face into Spirit's leg. "...Is your hand alright?" Mortis looked up at Spirit. "Seriously, what's wrong with him?" Spirit pried Kid from his leg and squatted to talk with him.

"It's not nice to ignore people." He said with a firm, yet gentle voice. "Could you please answer the nice man."

"He's not a nice man! He's a very bad man. He-He killed mommy and now he's going to- to-" Kid started to cry again. Mortis stood, his brow furrowed under his mask.

"You don't think he's-"

"We found him in her palace." Spirit replied. "He has the lines of sanzu too."

"BUT I NEVER-" He stopped and lowered his voice. "I never did anything that would result in... you know."

"Well obviously you did."

"I didn't, he's not- can not be mine. He doesn't even like me." They looked at Kid who was curled up in on himself.

"You aren't seriously thinking of throwing him back down there."

"Well if you're so worried about him, you take care of him!"

"I can't, I have Maka to care for as is. Yumi would have my head if I showed up with some random kid." Spirit sighed. "But it's not like he's a danger to anybody, what harm could a seven year old cause?"

"I'm not good with kids." Mortis hissed. "I never have been, they run the other way every time they see me."

"Maybe it's time to change that." Spirit took Kid's hand. "Come on, you want to go see something else?"

"Yes-" Kid squeaked. Shinigami didn't dare let kid outside until he was certain of his next course of action.

Flask-o-Back-o-End

By the time Kid was eight they had found out that Iroha had named him Death. He had been made using artificial means, and even though he wasn't Shinigami's physical son; it was obvious that she had wanted him to be, to a certain degree. Mortis had finally decided to take care of him as his own and even went as far to get him a home to raise him in. Even still, only a few people knew about how Kid came to live with him and he planned to keep it that way. Though it surprised him that Kid had never associated the 'bad man' with the more child friendly shinigami that ran Shibusen.

However, all of this was unnecessary to tell the Spartoi squad. So he glossed over the whole ordeal with a simple, vague. "When Asura became a Kishen, we realized we had the wrong child and let Kid live with me. If he talked with Asura, the impact of those memories could have intensified." He sighed. "Is there anything else you wish to share?" Liz nodded.

"After Kid destroyed Asura, he took the Kishen's soul." She paused. "And gave it to Crona." The room went quiet.

"He did WHAT?" Maka exclaimed. The group was sent in a tizzy afterward. Lord Death felt the weight of the day hang onto his shoulders with the newest problems.

"Everyone," Shinigami addressed, "I will have to ask you to leave now. Thank you for telling me what has transpired." One by one the teens filed out. "Except you Black Star, I need a word with you;" Tsubaki froze, "alone." She turned to her partner and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Good luck." She whispered. Once everyone left Black Star turned to the shinigami.

"What's up?" He said loftily. He didn't want to let on that his nerves were bubbling. It was obvious that the Death God was angered by the turn of events. Then again, everyone was frustrated. He'd just prefer to be out of the room when the man snapped.

"I owe you an apology."

"Look sir I-" Black Star stopped short of his mini speech. "What?"

"You were right about Kid's state before leaving for the moon. He probably would have been fine had he stayed behind. People like me sometimes forget that there are things other souls, but are just as powerful." Black Star, for once, didn't know what to say. "No doubt, you've inherited your mother's abilities along with your father's."

"Sir-"

"That isn't a bad thing. Your father would use your mother's fortune telling skills to protect his people for many years, he was a brilliant leader. No doubt, you will be one day as well." Shinigami turned to face the assassin. "It is my job to make sure all of my students achieve their maximum potential. I hope you will forgive me for disregarding your judgment."

"I do." He bowed. "Thank you for your praise." Shinigami returned it with a shallower bow.

"You may leave now, if you wish." Black Star nodded and quickly left. Under normal circumstances he would have boasted until his face turned blue. But this praise came at a price and he accepted it with a heavy heart. The road to the heavens was filled with the wilted dreams of those who surrounded him.

_**Family Tree: Kid**_

Hades (The youngest of 3 brothers) who with Persephone had: Aeron (Refused to live in the underworld) who then had two boys: Thantos (The Hier to the Underworld) and Dante (Never developed powers) who had: Mortis (aka Shinigami-sama) who raised Kid.

_**Family Tree: Crona**_

Pandora (Release Khonsus) had one daughter: Ophilia (Barely escaped a revolution) she never married, but had: Lillian (Fought for Thantos in war only to betrayed) her daughters escaped the Salem Trails: Arachnae (Once married, mother to Ragnarok) and Medusa (Barely considered a Voodoo witch) who had: Crona (First Sekaigami since Iroha).


	33. Seeds of Mistrust

**AN: Wow! This story is over 200 pages now. And everyone has been so kind! I have no idea how much longer it will be. But I'd have to say we are at least over half way there. Thank you all for sticking with me for so long.**

***Review Responses***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I'm sorry to hear that, I understand it can be difficult when that happens. Well I hope I didn't break anything ^^' Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: I'm glad, I know it took a while to get everything straight for me, the last thing I need is Batman logic in a Soul Eater fic. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Chabeli05: I'm glad his name is a hit. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Deidara4ever: You'll just have to wait and see Xd Thank you for reviewing.**

Crona sat in a large weathered chair in the remains of city hall within Chernobyl. The Kishen's soul bobbed aimlessly around the room. Now that she had the thing, she didn't know what to do with it. Ragnarok really didn't need more souls, she'd hate to accidentally kill him by feeding it too him. Her gaze drifted from the red blob to Kid. He stood, wary of the wavelength.

"If we don't find someplace to put it, it'll just animate something here." He chided stoically.

"Hmm... Like what?" Crona traced circles in the dust on the desk. Kid thought a moment.

"We could use a seal on a box or something like it. No one will dare come here now, lest they fall prey to madness. We should be safe here." At this Crona frowned.

"Are you saying that its dangerous outside?" She gestured to the soul. "The Kishen's ours, there is nothing to fear anymore. We're more powerful than anything out there." Kid painted Asura's seal on a bird cage solemnly.

"Not greater than Shibusen." He placed the trembling soul inside. "To them we are just another threat to the balance of the world. It's better to stay here, away from Shinigami-sama."

"For how long?" Kid said nothing. "What, forever?! I don't think so. What about food, water? This is a great... base, but not a, a fortress to hide away in. We can't hide forever, you've seen firsthand what happens when you do that." Kid's finders froze on the bars. "I don't want to die Shini-kun."

"I don't want you to die either." Kid implored. "That's why we have to stay here. If father found you-"

"Father?" Crona said slowly. She sat up in her chair. "Who is your father?" Kid looked broken by her question.

"My 'father'," He grimaced, "is Lord Death. He raised me ever since I was little." Crona shook her head.

"I-It can't be. I don't- Why~" She sunk into her chair. "Why didn't you tell me. I- I can't-" She stood slowly and walked to the door.

"Crona, please."

"Stay away!" Crona was held back by Kid's grasp. "Let go!" Ragnarok's sharp teeth burbled out of Crona's back and sunk into Kid's shoulder. He grunted from the pain, but pulled Crona closer. "I said let go!"

"No, I lost you once already; I'm not going to lose you again." Crona stopped struggling.

"Y-you knew me?" She trembled in his arms. "You knew me, and you never told me?"

"My fa- Shinigami-sama banished you for spying on Shibusen. It was all my fault, I should have done more to stop it. But I didn't, I was a coward and I just.. let it happen. I swear, I'll never do that again. I've left Shibusen, they have no idea where I am." Crona stilled, but said nothing. "Crona, please believe me."

"You betrayed them, threw away everything you knew." She looked at him with red rimmed eyes. "How do I know you won't do the same to me." He brought a hand to her cheek and wiped away a tear.

"I left to follow you. Had you stayed, so would I." He kissed her gently. "I did it because I love you." Ragnarok stopped chewing at his shoulder. "I promise you. I'll never do anything to harm you. But if my father found you-" He faltered. "I'll never let that happen."

"What if he does?" Crona angled up to see Kid's face.

"I'll kill him."

-8-0-8-

"I don't understand why Kid would suffer so from madness." Shinigami sank into a convenient couch in his room. "He had been doing so well, and with Maka's wavelength-"

"Maybe Maka wasn't the only reason Kid had been doing better. And I say 'had' in long term past tense." The two stared at him. "I mean he's been having problems for a while."

"What's more perplexing is why he gave the Kishen's soul to Crona." Stein sighed. "Most aberrant miesters would take as much power as possible for themselves."

"Kid's never lusted after power though." Spirit disagreed.

"As a shinigami, he had no reason to fear Death." Shinigami-sama explained. "The only reason a miester ever strives for ill-gotten power is to escape Death."

"Well not necessarily, others have gained power under people." Spirit suggested.

"And who would he be serving? Another mole here in Shibusen? Kid would never do something like that." Stein cleared his throat to end the squabble.

"Don't you think we've avoided the real issues long enough?" Stein sighed. "Will Kid's name go on the list."

"WHAT!?" Both shouted.

"Kid has done nothing to deserve that." Spirit proclaimed.

"He stole the Kishen's soul." Stein reminded.

"We don't even know why he took it." Shinigami defended.

"Which is exactly why we need to be cautious. I know he's your son, but he's a rogue miester now."

"We don't know the severity of Kid's condition." Shinigami stood. "I will reserve judgment until we know more." He sighed. "But if he spills innocent blood, I won't hesitate to add his name. We've taken too many chances as is." Maka slipped away from the door; she had heard enough.

-8-0-8-

Gopher came to in the attic of the church, and in a sense, her room. Last she clearly remembered, they were on the moon in search of the Kishen. Then Justin had attacked Noah-

"Noah-sama!" She tumbled out of the tattered sheets and onto the floor. She began to weakly run down the steps to the main room, her head dizzy from the sudden movement. "Nosh-sama? NOAH-SAMA!"

"I'm here." Noah said coldly.

"Noah-sama, thank goodness. I-I couldn't remember what happened."

"You injured yourself needlessly," Noah rumbled, "I had to bring you back here and mend your wounds. Thanks to you, we lost the Kishen to the young shinigami."

"Noah-sama!~" Gopher couldn't believe. Noah had chosen her over the Kishen. "I'm so sorry-"

"I wasn't finished!" Noah snapped. "You swore yourself to me, correct."

"Of course Noah-sama."

"Then why is it, that you have a 'birth mark' on your side? You weren't born, I made you. And I definitely would not make it with that." Gopher's heart sank, with the realization of what had happened.

"N-noah-sama. I-I"

"Stop your sniveling!" Noah roared. "Who did, it? What else did he temper with?"

"Nothing, he- Giriko didn't touch anything else. It was just a quick repair. You were just so busy at the time-"

"That you thought I wouldn't notice?!" Noah sneered. "Where is he? I'll kill him." He slammed his fist on the table, splintering it.

"Noah-sama?" Gopher frowned.

"When I get through with him, he'll wish he was never born!"

"Noah-sama!" Gopher called out. "Giriko is dead."

"There's no point in defending him, I-" Noah stopped his triad.

"Giriko is dead. He has been for months." Gopher reached out to him. "Don't you remember? I lent him the prototype body and he had a rejection response." Noah looked away, his stance defensive.

"O-of course I remember." He stalked away from her. "I was just making sure you remembered."

"You really don't remember do you?" Gopher wrapped her arms around herself.

"Of course I do! I just said I do, don't contradict me." Noah snarled.

"You're not him either." Her shoulders shook as her voice threatened to give. "You still don't remember." She ran off to her room before she started to cry before him. Behind her, she left him more confused than ever.

-8-0-8-

The airship was deathly quiet, even the steel frame didn't dare to creak. The dim moonlight peered through the window onto the cold floor. It had all been abandoned, save for two figures that walked down the halls.

"Liz and Patty have been through so much already." Tsubaki sighed, "I figured it would help them if we got Kid's stuff for them." Black Star nodded curtly.

"I hate this; gloomy doesn't suit you either." Tsubaki offered him with a weak smile.

"Well as soon as we get Kid's stuff we can leave." Of course, the airship wasn't the cause of the recent over cast on their lives; merely a reminder. But it was nice to think that they could still move on. They reached the room where Kid had stayed briefly and began to collect his things. Black Star took his friend's bag from the chair.

"Maybe after this we can get everybody ice cream or something." He looked over to his partner who stood eerily still over Kid's jacket. "Tsubaki?"

"I think ice cream will have to wait." Tsubaki said. "Look." She handed him a folded sheet of paper. Black Star took the page cautiously, like the contents might burn. He unfolded the sheet. "I found it in Kid's pocket." It was Kid's farewell note to Crona.

-8-0-8-

A part of Crona still didn't trust Kid. It was clear to see that she had kept a bit of distance between them. Kid couldn't profess enough to her that he wouldn't leave, but it didn't matter. She couldn't understand the difference between inconsistency and loyalty. If only there was a way to regain her trust. Suddenly an idea hit him.

"Crona?" He stepped into the decayed office that Crona had adopted as her room.

"What?" She looked over her shoulder at him; protected by Ragnarok's massive, draconian form.

"I know your upset-"

"Upset, why would I be upset?" Crona huffed. "I only trusted a complete stranger to find out that he knew me for months before that." Ragnarok growled in agreement. "It's not like you could be lying to me about the kind of person you are so I'll trust you again."

"I understand, but please hear me out." Ragnarok rested his head on Crona's and grumbled. Still Crona allowed him to speak. "You feel at a disadvantage because you don't know the kind of person I am. But you can still read souls right?" Crona nodded.

"That's only a summary of who you are. It won't tell me specific things."

"I know," he took a step toward her, "but you could if you resonated with me. A friend of mine did this once, she said it helped her. Maybe it can help us." Crona perked up ever so slightly.

"What will it do?"

"It will make it impossible for me to hide anything from you." He offered her a hand. "Do you want to give it a try?" The pinkette frowned, then held out her own hand.

"I'll try; but if anything goes wrong, you'll have Ragnarok to deal with." Kid nodded and carefully reached out to her. All it took was a touch, for the two souls to connect. To anyone on the outside, it would appear the two had collapsed.


	34. Smoke on the Water

**AN: I hate FINALS! I apologize for the delay, I've has 3 tests to study for DX I'll be taking a hiatus until second semester starts. Finally, we get to see what Kid's soul looks like. ^^ **

***Review Responses***

**Chabeli05: I can't tell you if a character dies, it's against my no spoiler policy. But yeah, Shibusen sucks like that. They aren't exactly the most understanding bunch. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

_ Crona stood on a beach of blackened sand; the sky had been flooded with clouds, the sun absent from view. She kicked the sand with a pout. Wasn't something supposed to happen, some grand revelation? All she saw was the same tarnished world she saw last time. In her aimless wandering she stumbled upon the white rose. It was still alive, healthy even, but not thriving. She frowned at it._

_ "Now what? What more do you want from me? Haven't I done enough?" A leaf fell off the plant, causing the little girl to pout. She closed her eyes and let the large shadow loom over her. Wait a minute, there was nothing here that could cast a shadow._

_ Behind her a large castle floated, independent from any land. In a moment she remembered what she was to do. Faintly, she could recall a time where someone had ventured into her soul. They had the power to change her, and that scared her. She didn't want that to happen again. So she ventured forward. If she was in someone else's soul, they couldn't mess with hers._

_ A twisted bridge from the castle barely reached the sand. She hesitated, but started to climb up to the castle. She was wary of the large holes between the black branches that formed the bridge. As she crossed, her limbs grew longer and her features sharper. By the time she reached the stone and mortar structure, she had aged three year. _

_ Large double doors blocked her path to the castle's interior. Her slender hands grabbed the handles of the doors and tugged. However, the door did not budge. After a number of tries, she relented and rested against the doors. Slowly, the doors swung inward._

_ The moment Crona stepped inside, she was surrounded by cold, damp air. The doors swiftly swung shut behind her, leaving the girl trapped in the stone maze. Two torches closest to her lit with dim blue flames. She took a few steps forward and the light seemed to follow her, jumping from torch to torch and dying behind her. On the walls, scenes and people were painted. Some in elaborate frames, others bare and withered on the stone._

_ "Hello?" Crona called. "Is anyone there?" Her voice echoed back from several places, the network of halls bent in different directions. She continued to wander aimlessly when she caught a glimpse of black fabric vanish around the corner. She tried desperately to catch the person, until she realized it was leading her away from the center of the building. Crona shook her head and back tracked to where she had been in the beginning and tried her hardest to ignore the tempting trail her mystery person was trying to recreate. At the center of the twisting labyrinth, was a locked room.  
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_ Upon closer inspection the door had a simple chain lock on the inside. It held the door closed, but something had forced the iron to open so that is was about large enough for her to squeeze through. She glanced around her before slipping past the damaged door._

_ Once again, two torches lit a dim blue. It was a large room with barren walls, save for the torches. On the floor, a weathered red carpet stretched to a single chair. A throne made of human bones. Behind it, a charred picture of a woman in white, her face unrecognizable through the damage. Crona walked down the worn velvet to the throne, to find a black mass with a white face in the seat. At the sound of her footsteps, it tensed; and Crona realized there was a person under the heavy cloak._

_ "...Shini-kun?" She asked. The white mask looked up at her, a hastily carved skull._

_ "How did you get it, the door was locked?" The younger form of Kid asked. He sunk as far back into the chair as possible. He couldn't pretend to be something he wasn't here, unlike the maze outside._

_ "It was," Crona replied, "but the door was open. You must have let me in." She tilted her head. "Why won't you let me see your face." Her hand came dangerously close to his mask._

_ "No!" Kid leapt from his chair to put distance between them. "Don't touch it."_

_ "Why?" Crona frowned."What are you afraid of?"_

_ "...me." Kid back away, but was stopped by the wall. "I'm disgusting; a monster. If you see what I am, you'll hate me too." In a twisted way, Crona was flattered. She had reduced the proud shinigami to a trembling mess. However, she couldn't be the only reason. His soul was cold, and negative; it had been starved of attention at some point to end up like this. But what was so bad that he had to hide himself with in these walls._

_ "That is for me to decide." She reached out and gently took the mask away from him before he could move. Without the mask, his cloak fell. His clothes were ancient, lovingly stitched together by someone else's hands. In the torch light, she could see the disconnected lines of a dormant shinigami. Her hand cupped his cheek and made him face her. "Open your eyes."_

_ Carefully, he looked up at her. His left eye was the brilliant gold she was used to. Though at the moment, it only reflected fear. His other eye was jet black, a sharp contrast to his pale skin. She regarded him for a moment, surprised that there wasn't more conflict with in him about his nature; only shame._

_ "I don't hate you." She said finally. He did not want to deceive her, but he still had ties to his old life; much like she once did. If only she could redirect his energy toward her. "They were wrong; whoever it was that called you a monster. You aren't. You are just you, and if they can't accept that, it's their loss." _

_ His goal had been achieved, her faith in him had been restored. However, an unexpected side effect had occurred. Every touch, every word she spoke; gave away a bit of her own nature. She had indeed fallen deep into madness. But Pandora's efforts still fought to keep a part of Crona's innocence alive. The part that could care for others again. Just as the door to Kid's soul was slightly ajar. There was a chance, slim, that they both could be saved. And in the right hands they could be._

_ "Do you trust me?" She asked. Kid nodded slightly. At this Crona grinned and gently brought her lips to his. She moved slowly, and let her wavelength brush impossibly close to his. She had unwittingly set a fire within him, and he groaned when she pulled apart. "Good." When she kissed him within the locked room, it was clear that they would continue to drag each other down unless something intervened._

-8-0-8-

"What's going on here?" Wrath demanded. Eibon's projection bobbed, it's ivory held tilted upwards with an air of superiority.

"It's none of my business what you don't remember." It tsked.

"But everyone seems to know me, except for me." He fisted his hair. "It's so frustration to keep lying like this."

"Greed seemed to play along just nicely. You simply aren't trying hard enough." It sighed. "If you're having this much trouble, get rid of the girl."

"I can't!"

"Why? You don't need her." Eibon drawled. "All she does is slow you down."

"I-I don't know. She says she knows me, but- I don't think she'll tell me without crying." He shuddered. "I don't want to deal with that again."

"So what, you want to know who you are?" Eibon had grown impatient with the fragment. "You are Noah. You're true form is within my holding. If you ever want to be rid of me, I suggest you find me another body before yours starts to decay. If you can't remember more than that, then it obviously wasn't that important to you. There for, it doesn't matter. I tire of you failures." It began to fade. "Remember that the next time you need a favor."

-8-0-8-

What remained of the Spartoi gang sat in Black Star's sanctum above the school. If anymore people found out about it, it wouldn't be much of a sanctum anymore. Maybe he should get a real door for the place.

"Is everybody here?" Soul asked.

"Just about." Liz sighed. "Kim has work and Harvard got a flu." An awkward silence fell over the group. Black star finally broke it.

"So, what's the verdict?"

"Undecided." Maka said simply."They don't want to write down Kid's name unless they absolutely have to. The likely hood of that happening though... they just don't know. Everyone's still searching for pieces." Patty gave her sister a comforting hug.

"Don't worry Onee-san," Patty cooed, "Kid will be just fine."

"We do have a bit of an update of our own." Tsubaki admitted. "We have an idea why Kid left with Crona." Everyone looked at her expectantly. "We think he's been secretly seeing Crona."

"What?" Patty exclaimed.

"That doesn't make any sense." Soul shook his head. "I mean, this is Kid we're talking about. He wouldn't go out to secret meetings with an enemy of Shibusen."

"He would," Maka realized, "If he started meeting her before she became an enemy. Remember those study sessions they kept having?"

"Wait," Black Star interrupted, "they were studying together?"

"You didn't know that?"

"Dude, I don't pay attention to half of Kid's wierdnesses." At this Maka rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," she continued, "when they were having those study sessions; they were always really secretive."

"Then Kid got really angry," Liz remembered, "back when Crona was banished. He'd be up in his room for hours organizing things."

"The engagement probably didn't help." Ox commented.

"He wasn't even there." Black Star disagreed. Only too late did he realize his mistake.

"Do you think that's where he was?" Maka asked with a soft voice. "When they announced the engagement, do you think he was with Crona?"

"Hey," Soul soothed, "we're just speculating here."

"Actually," Tsubaki peeped, "we found a note to her in his pocket, on the airship. It said that he was glad she had kept meeting him and that they had to stop after the Kishen was defeated. But if it was in his pocket, then he never gave it to her." All of them had the same thought. How long had Kid been lying to them?

"Does Shinigami-sama know?" Ox asked.

"We gave the note to him," Black Star replied, "he didn't say much. I don't know how he's taking it."

"Not well, I'd imagine." Soul mused.

"Not well at all." Liz agreed.

-8-0-8-

Crona stared up at the weathered chandelier of city hall. Their resonance had ended and they were back to doing what they had when they first arrived. The down side of holding up in an abandoned town was that there was nothing to do.

"Shini-kun?" Crona hummed idly. "Is there anything else you haven't told me yet?" The shinigami sat up from his lounge on the couch.

"Like what? You said you didn't want to bother with the past."

"No, I know that." She swayed back and forth in her chair. "I mean like, important stuff. You know, stuff about shinigami." Kid thought a moment.

"Well I know we've always been at odds with witches. It comes from an old legend."

"Really? How old?"

"About... Damn, I didn't ask at the time." Kid sighed. "A lot was going on then. Well, I guess it'd be as old as Pandora's box." Crona froze.

"...Pandora?"

"Yeah, the witch with the girigori soul." Crona shortly came into view. She sat down on the floor next to him, a small smile on her face.

"Could you tell me it please?"

"Well, basically what my father told me was that a long time ago witches weren't very common. While traveling, the first shinigami gave a girl this box, and told her to watch if for him and never open it. She did; and in doing so, gained the power to banish fear. Madness. Hades, the shinigami, tried everything in his power to destroy her. But in the end, it was a draw. Both were weakened and Pandora used the last of her strength to curse him. His descendents would be plagued by misfortune for 1000 years. If fa- Shinigami-sama can't reap the soul the curse is projected from, then something terrible will happen. At least, that's what he believes. I wouldn't put much stock into it."

"You know, the deadline could be coming up soon." Crona smiled up at him. "It's probably why he's been so desperate to regain order." Pandora was a sekaigami, as was her great, great grandmother. If she was a descendent, then Shinigami-sama would be the one who would use her to end the curse.

"I guess." He sat up in surprise as Crona sat on his legs. She pulled him close and kissed him passionately. Kid felt a jolt of excitement run through him until she pulled away.

"You have no idea what this means to me." She kissed him gently on the forehead. "I'm going to go for a walk, I'll be right back." Her enemy finally had a face.


	35. Blackened Sun

**AN: Finally I'm back. Sorry I took so long but I ran into some serious writer's block with this story. And then someone threw away my story notes. Everything that I ever planned about the end of the story was gone. Lost forever. So I had to go back and read the whole story so I could remember what direction I was going to take it. However, now that I've picked it up again I plan to finish it. So let's get this show back on the road.**

**Shout out to Dr-Crankestien for being my beta. Love ya man.**

***Review Response***

**Chabeli05: Thank you so much. It's great to hear from my readers. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**TrypMonster: It's one of the few details I strive for with FF. I'm glad I've been able to sway your opinion on the pairing. Though I am curious, what drew you into the story? Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Grz: I do, right now. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightphonix-xX: Yes indeedy. I listened to music from Buffy the Vampire slayer to write Kid's soul XD I hope to continue to meet your expectations. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**The Egoist's Girlfriend: Yes, yes I am. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Emma-sempai: I'm working on it. Thank you for reading and reviewing.  
><strong>

**SkYeLiMiT: I'm glad you like the back-story. When I first started, I worried that it wouldn't hit off with the fans. I love character depth, love it so much! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Crona relished the night air on her skin as she walked through the broken city. If she wanted to live, truly live, then she would have to kill Shinigami-sama; regardless of her mother's wishes. This went beyond petty grudges.

Shinigami-sama was a fearsome opponent. No doubt he had been training to defeat someone like her for years, surrounding himself with powerful weapons. If she was really going to go through with this, she'd need help.

The pinkette sighed. Being of awkward social standings, she didn't have many allies. Then there was the fact that Kid still had bonds with his old life. She would have to find a way to sway his opinion permanently. An incentive of some kind for turning on his father completely. At this, she grinned. If she had to destroy everything to protect him, he'd have to do the same.

She could feel the power within her grow restless. At first, thin, white threads extended from her wavelength. They became tangled in the shreds of Ragnarok's soul and wove a stained tapestry of feathers. She sighed and the now formed wings extended; potential radiance smothered by her madness.

-8-0-8-

The floor of Lord Death's chambers would have been worn through by Shinigami-sama's pacing, were it not infused with magic. Everything had gone horribly wrong. In his attempts to protect their way of life he had pushed away his son. While he'd admit he hadn't been thrilled when Kid first arrived into his life. It didn't mean he didn't love his son.

-Flash-Back-

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Shinigami-sama asked as he tried on the new mask.

"Of course it will," Spirit reassured, "I've been telling him about you for months." While Shinigami-sama sorted out the mess Iroha and the Kishen left behind, Kid had to continue to live at Shishuben. Spirit had been charged with caring for the boy. Over time, Shinigami-sama came to terms with the fact that Iroha had a child, that was now, supposedly, in his care.

"But what if he doesn't like me? The last time I saw him, he hid behind you." Shinigami argued.

"That's what the new mask and cloak are for. A second chance at a first impression." Sprit smacked him on the back. "As far as he'd concerned, you're now a great hero. Now go in there and surprise Kid."

Lord Death took a deep breath and stepped into the death room. Gray lined a long table. His faculty clapped as Kid blew out eight candles on a white cake.

"We have a special surprise for you." Marie grinned.

"Another present?" Kid asked in wonder, this being his first birthday party.

"Sort of," Spirit chuckled. Kid turned toward the voice and was shocked to see a man, just like the drawings Spirit had shown him.

"Daddy?" Kid asked slowly. When Shinigami-sama nodded the child grinned. "Daddydaddydaddy!" He hopped out of his chair and hugged the figure. "Did you come here to take me home to a mansion?"

"It's, uhh... under construction, right now." Lord Death fibbed. "To-err... give you your own hallway." At this Kid leapt for joy and went to tell the staff, giving him a chance to ask Spirit.

"What all did you tell him about me exactly?"

-Flash-Back-End-

Lord Death finally took a seat, letting his hand rest on the back of the chair. So many souls had become frantic in the ending chaos. It was hard for them to revert back to normal when an unknown threat peaked on the horizon. He closed his eyes and hoped to rest for a moment. However, something pricked at the back of his mind and he focused his attention to seek out the soul that was currently harassing him.

That's when he saw it. The winged soul suffocating in madness. The Sekaigami had awakened.

-8-0-8-

"Hey," Crona said as she reentered the room, "you're still awake." Kid turned and looked at her.

"Yeah, I couldn't fall asleep." Kid shrugged. "I did figure this out though." He brought a hand up and touched one of the vines that had grown into the room. In an instant it withered and curled in on itself.

"Does it work on people?" Crona asked as she crossed the room.

"I don't know," Kid admitted. "I've never tried it on another human being." Crona rested her hand on his and pulled it away from the vine.

"I wouldn't worry about that now." He looked up at her. He didn't want to use his power to hurt others as she had suggested. "A lot has happened over the last few days." She grinned wildly as she dragged her hand up his arm. "You should take the chance to relax a bit."

"Crona?" Kid looked up at the girl who wore a deceptively sweet smile. Even through the veil of madness, Kid was certain this wasn't how Crona normally acted. His heart hammered in his chest. "What do you propose?" She couldn't possibly be suggesting what was going through his head.

"I'm so glad you asked." Crona purred. "It's a little too late to do anything now. But I was thinking that tomorrow we could do a little poking around. There has to be something in this town we haven't seen yet." There was mischief in her eyes.

"Sure." Kid agreed.

"Glad you agree." She kissed him passionately. "Get some rest, okay?" Kid struggled to calm the cinders in his heart. As she had said, it was late, he could hold out a little longer.

-8-0-8-

Noah walked into Gopher's room, tense in his movements. The girl was crying silently on her cot. He wasn't certain what she expected him to do.

"Hey!" He quipped. Gopher flinched and wiped the tears from her face.

"Yes Noah-sama?" Gopher looked up at him.

"Don't let something like this happen again." He said blindly."You aren't supposed to let anyone touch you other than me. And... and if someone does anyway, I'll kill them."

"O-Okay Noah-sama." Gopher nodded. This seemed to have the desired effect; his vassel had stopped simpering.

"And stay away from the Book of Eibon." He added. "I'll find a way out of this myself."

-8-0-8-

The morning light was filtered by a thick layer of clouds. Still, it was warm enough to walk around the decaying town.

Crona attempted to primp in the reflection of a broken mirror, then scowled. This was pointless. Her appearance had always been rubbish, why change now?

"Shini-kun, are you awake?" She asked through the thin door.

"Yes." He stepped out and offered the girl his arm. "Are you ready to go?" She giggled.

"Of course" She guided him out of the building and toward the old theme park. "I see the lines have disconnected." She commented, if only to buy her a little time. She needed to psyche herself up for her planned deception.

"I can't keep all of my shinigami powers and be at the whim of madness at the same time." He shrugged. They walked past dead leaves and shriveled rides.

"Was it worth it?" She asked, leaning into him. "Trading order for power?" She had successfully distracted him with her banter. As he mulled the question over, she slipped the door to a broken Ferris wheel open.

"I'd say so." He smirked. "For once I don't have to worry about upholding balance."

"That must have been stressful." Crona agreed. She led him into the car of the ride, closing the door behind them. "Though I'm ashamed, I haven't properly thanked you."

"For what?" Crona inched closer.

"For fighting for me." She kissed him and pulled him close. "That is; if you'll accept my gratitude." He kissed her back heatedly. Off balance, they pitched into the wall. Crona's back was the only thing keeping them from falling to the floor. Kid's hands roamed up her body and she tensed.

"You don't have to do this if you really don't want to." He muttered into her neck.

"I-I don't know what you mean." Crona groaned as his fingers found a particularly vulnerable spot. Reluctantly, Kid pulled away to look Crona in the face.

"I wouldn't want to do something you're uncomfortable with." She moved her thigh ever so slightly, finding proof of the contrary. He moaned. "I love you Crona."

"You love me?" She growled and pulled him down for another kiss. "Then prove it." He catered to his desire and grinded against her.

"I'll do anything." He panted into her ear.

"Anything?" She grinned.

"Yes, anything." He murmured; more of a mantra then a declaration. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Kill Lord Death for me." His reply wasn't immediate, as her request had to be deciphered through the haze.

"I'll do it." At this she smiled against his ear, her fingers tracing up the back of his neck. That night, they didn't leave the fairgrounds.


	36. Up Rising

**AN: As I'm sure you noticed, I updated on a Monday. With the way my schedule is looking, Mondays look like they will be best for my regular updates. That combined with my brand new laptop, should ensure that this story will finish in one uninterrupted stream. I will warn you. We have almost reached the end. That is why I will do my best to stay focused on this project to the end.**

***Review Responce***

**Moonlightpheonix-X: It's really Crona's time to shine right now. Thank you for reading and reviewing.  
><strong>

**Prince James von Fairfax: Glad to see you haven't lost interest in the story. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Maka looked over Death City as the sun set. The auburn light washed over her and the steps of Shibusen. Her partner casually sat next to her but said nothing.

"It's so strange," Maka sighed, "I never imagined my first year at Shibusen would become so convoluted." Soul nodded in silent agreement. They continued to stare at the sunset before Maka added "Do you think things will ever return to normal?"

"Hard to say." Soul shrugged. "Then again, normal isn't really in this school's vocabulary." At this Maka snickered.

"I suppose you're right." She frowned. "But still, it's crazy how quickly the world fell apart."

"Just because the world fell apart, doesn't mean we can't rebuild just as quickly." Soul glanced over her shoulder. "Hey, I gotta go. Just don't stay out too late, it'd suck if you caught a cold."

"Yeah, alright." Maka agreed. He stood and walked back toward the main door.

"You know you're my best friend, right?" He asked, as he passed Black Star. The two paused, though not quite facing each other.

"Yeah."

"Then do me a favor, don't tell her just yet."

"Tell her what?" Black Star said, feigning ignorance.

"Look, I know you don't mean any harm, but she's gone through a lot lately. She doesn't need any more stuff on her plate." Soul sighed.

"I was just going to see if she was alright." This wasn't entirely untrue, he was concerned just like everyone else. However, it was important to save face right now. Especially with Soul calling him out like this.

"She's stressed, but otherwise she's fine." Soul finally looked at the ninja. "I mean it man, back off. If you even care about her remotely, you'll wait until this is all over."

"I really don't know what you're talking about." Black Star shrugged. "But if it really means that much to you, I'll 'wait'." He'd try his best to honor his friend's request. The only problem was, it didn't look like it would ever be over.

-8-0-8-

Kid looked up at the vibrant red sky. He had managed to talk himself into an awkward position. It was no secret he was furious with his father. How he had handled the escalating events was inexcusable. It was only a matter of time before the man jumped to rash decisions. But to kill his father?

Part of him wanted to continue hiding in Chernobyl. However, it wasn't a permanent solution. A life trapped inside a decaying town, was no life at all, but an elaborate prison meant to keep him safe from himself. He meant it when he said he'd kill Lord Death to protect Crona. Now he felt the gravity of his decision. He had nowhere to go now, but forward. And this path led right through Shibusen.

They couldn't do this alone. Even now, while Shibusen was weak, they didn't have enough power to take down the whole school. Most of the Death Scythes had been gathered and the school was crawling with armed students. They'd have to find a way to slip past them to his father and take him down. It was that or a head on assault. Either way, they need help.

Footsteps came up behind him, followed by a warm hug from the girl who had asked the impossible. "Are you alright Shini-kun? You seem so distracted."

"I'm fine." He said in a low voice. "Just thinking."

"Oh?" Crona said, bemused. "Do tell."

"Are you serious about destroying Lord Death?" Kid asked gravely.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life." The grin she had held a shadow of her mother's.

"Then we're going to need help." Kid stated.

"Oh, okay. That shouldn't be a problem." Crona shrugged and took to messing with his hair.

"But it is. All of the fighters I know work for Lord Death and don't show any signs of stopping." Kid snipped.

"Oh please," Crona groaned, "you're thinking of your friends. Allies don't have to like you. They just have to hate someone more than they hate you. There has to be someone you know who has a vendetta against your father and is alive." She studied Kid's face as grim realization dawned on him.

"I think I know of someone."

-8-0-8-

Gopher walked back from taking out the trash. Working helped keep her mind off of her current situation. Suddenly a gust of wind threw her off balance. She could hear the sudden thud of someone landing on the ground.

"I need your help." Rang an eerily recognizable voice and she whipped around to see Death the Kid standing before her.

"What makes you think I would help you?" Gopher snarled.

"Because Lord Death hasn't found you yet." Kid retorted. "When they asked me where you went, I pointed them the other way; you owe me." Gopher's face pinched into a pout.

"That depends on what you're asking of me. I will not be blackmailed for your twisted amusement."

"I have a feeling you'll agree." Kid conceded. "I plan to take down Shinigami-sama, but I'm short on man power. Imagine, all of those rules you live in fear from crushed into nothingness."

"I-I don't know." Gopher frowned. Defeating Lord Death meant more fighting. There were only so many 'final' fights she could subject herself to. This wasn't just one battle anymore, it was war.

"Gopher, what's taking you so long?" Noah barked.

"N-noah-sama!" Gopher squeaked. Noah burst through the door, surprising the shinigami.

"You're alive." Kid whispered, the madness within him thrived on the words.

"Who's this?" Noah demanded. "What is he doing here!?"

"He was just leaving." Gopher hinted, but Kid ignored it.

"I represent a party whose goal would benefit you. We aim to eliminate Lord Death." He met Noah's gaze. "If you help, we could negotiate a form of payment for your service."

"A body." Noah prodded.

"I'm sure that can be arranged." Kid said carefully.

"Then we have a deal." Unbeknownst to them, Eibon watched with muted eagerness.

"The body of a shinigami instead of a Kishen?" He mused. "A more than adequate exchange."

-8-0-8-

The scene played out on the reflective surface of an ivory mirror. The current shinigami brought a hand up to the mirror and whipped away the image. He had hoped to never see this day. He sighed and began to dial the number for the classrooms. He still wouldn't put his son's name on the list. Not that he didn't believe that his son was dangerous, quite the contrary. His son was volatile in this state, too dangerous for even some of his most experienced meisters. Besides, it was his job to discipline his son.

"Will Maka Albarn, Soul Eater Evans, Black Star, and Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, please come to the Death Room." He waited patiently for the four to stumble into his room.

"You wanted to see us?" Maka panted.

"Indeed, it seems an old foe has resurfaced. Noah is launching an attack on Shibusen while our defenses are weak. You are the only students who have experience battling him."

"What do you need us to do?" Tsubaki asked.

"You will be in charge of stopping him. His numbers are lower than ours and I would like to keep this as quiet as possible. He doesn't realize we know his plan. I'll make sure the school will be empty."

"Sir!" Maka exclaimed incredulously.

"We need to bring him down swiftly and quietly." He paused. "For this reason, I'm putting Black Star in charge of this assignment.

"WHAT!" The students shrieked.

"With all due respect, Black Star isn't the stealthiest ninja. No offense." Maka said. Before Black Star could speak, Shinigami-sama interjected.

"I am well aware of that. However, I have the utmost confidence that Black Star is the best suited for this job." Stunned, Black Star bowed.

"Thank you Shinigami-sama, I won't fail you."

"Noah strikes at dawn; you have until then to prepare." The group left in shocked silence.

"So…" Soul said, breaking the ice, "What's the plan?"

"…I'm not sure."


	37. Siege of Shishuben Part 1

**AN: Man I can't believe this fic has come so far. It looks like it will be a little over 40 chapters once it's completed. A huge thanks goes to you guys, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have put so much time into this. Enjoy the next chapter my friends. On a side note, follow the AZ Soul Eater Cosplay group, those guys are amazing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: Yes, there is a method to the madness. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Gopher soared toward the school on extended soul wings. She glanced behind her to see Noah riding a six legged beast. They couldn't afford to make any more mistakes. Lord Death had to fall tonight.

The homunculus barreled through the front doors and wove through the corridors to the main hall. If something turned out to be wrong, she would be the first to suffer the consequences. Before she could even see the doors of the Death Room a scythe caught her in the shoulder and slammed her to the ground.

"Noah-sama, it's an ambush. Watch out!" She flung feathered projectiles at her hidden assailants to draw them out. With her as a distraction, Noah slipped past the first line of defense. "Show yourself you coward!"

A familiar meister stepped into the light.

"Hello again." Maka sneered.

-8-0-8-

The plan was similar to Medusa's the night of the party. The only difference, the target could fight back. There was only one hall that lead to the Death Room and the students Lord Death had summoned stood in its path. If Noah managed to defeat the group, he would be too weak to take down Lord Death. Black Star hoped it wouldn't come to that.

A roar echoed down the corridor, causing the ninja to tense. Noah had arrived.

"Tsubaki, Shuriken Star Mode." Black Star called and hurtled his weapon into the darkness. The beast Noah rode shrieked and toppled to the floor. Tsubaki flew back toward her meister, who caught her with ease.

"That was awfully rude of you." Wrath growled. He opened the Book of Eibon and summoned another monster. "Kitsune, mince him."

"I don't think so." Black Star smirked. "Tsubaki, Uncanny Sword Mode." His body became covered in inky black tattoos. With ease, he sliced through the small, fox like creature. "Shadow Arm." Tsubaki whipped across the floor and flung the Book of Eibon across the room. "Why don't you stop hiding behind your _pets_ and fight like a real man!"

"That's big talk coming from a demon." Wrath snorted. "Oh, you think I didn't notice?" He chuckled. "You'd be surprised what is written on your soul."

"Shut up!" Black Star yelled.

-8-0-8-

"I hate to rain on your parade," Maka jibed, "but you aren't going anywhere." She swung Soul around to rest on her shoulder. "So, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Daelus feathers!" Gopher cried. Her spectral missiles sailed toward the blonde miester, who dodged them effortlessly.

"Hard way it is." Soul sighed. The pair had gotten stronger since their last meeting with Gopher. By the looks of it, she hadn't learned any new tricks.

"Soul, let's put an end to this." Maka swung the scythe into a fighting stance.

"You're the boss." The two concentrated. "SOUL RESONANCE!" Gopher rushed toward them, hoping for an opening.

"Warlock Hunter!" Maka declared. Soul's blade grew in size and magnitude. The metal shimmered in the dull light, radiating with magic. Unfortunately for Gopher, she was too slow to avoid the attack. Clipped by the blade, she was sent flying to the ground. Maka's attack hadn't been a direct hit, but it was enough to leave Gopher motionless.

"We should see if Black Star needs help." Soul suggested.

"I don't know," Maka sighed, turning her back to the fallen girl, "I don't think these two are the only ones here."

-8-0-8-

With ludicrous speed, Black Star lunged toward the unarmed warlock. He shuffled through several of Tsubaki's forms, trying to find one that would land a hit on Noah. However, Wrath was always one step ahead of him.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Noah chortled. "For a ninja, you're awfully transparent. Every encounter you've had, every minuscule detail that's affected your life is broadly on display to me. People like you make me feel better about myself." Black Star growled at this. He tried to land a punch, but Noah caught his fist and used the force to throw Black Star into the wall. "I don't have to prove myself to anyone."

"Don't give me that high and mighty crap." Black Star said as he peeled himself out of the rubble. "You may have a magic book, but without it you're nothing. You can't even keep me down. Tsubaki, Chain Scythe Mode."

"I wouldn't get cocky if I were you." Wrath snarled.

"SPEED STAR!"

"Black Star," Tsubaki shouted, "calm down. You can't let him get to you." Noah went to kick Black Star in the head, but the ninja stepped and hit the man in the chest.

"NOVA BARRAGE!" His fist collided with the warlock's chest. A ripple of energy shocked the body once. A second wave smacked into Wrath, paralyzing him. The third, was in the shape of a giant star. When it finally hit Noah, it constricted slightly, the expanded causing the being within to erupt into sheets of torn paper.

"What… just happened?" Tsubaki asked. Before they could gather their bearings, they heard Soul scream.

-8-0-8-

"You should have known better than to fly too close to the sun." Gopher snarled in a two-toned voice.

"MAKA! Behind you!" Soul warned. The girigori fighter was not down for the count. She had risen to her feet, albeit slowly. What had alarmed Soul was the air grew cold as she looked at her target. Madness coiled around her; her nails stretched to the ground, her eyes a dull, unfocused purple.

"Flames of Icarus!" As Maka turned she was pelted with the flaming feathers. They pierced her torso and burned the surrounding flesh.

"MAKA!" Soul transformed into his human form. Immobile, his meister lay on the floor. He grabbed his sagging enemy by the collar and slammed her against the wall. The attack had taken a lot out of Gopher as well. She was drained, still bleeding, but otherwise conscious. "What did you do?" she gathered enough strength to spit in the scythe's face. "You-"

"Soul what's going on?" Black Star called as he rushed into the room. To his horror, Maka lay before him; her attacker pinned to the wall. "Soul…" He struggled to find the words. "She… I…" He had failed. He hadn't meant for Maka to get hurt. If only he had asked for more help. "It's over. We can lock her in a cell and destroy the book."

"No!" Gopher screamed. Forced back against a wall, she growled through her tears. "When Kid gets his hands on you; I'll enjoy watching you get ripped apart piece by piece!"

"…Kid?" The Shibusen students let this sink in.

"You take care of Gopher," Black Star instructed, "Tsubaki, take Maka to Nygus. I'll be right back." His chain scythe nodded and scooped Maka off the floor. He had to warn Shinigami-sama before it was too late.

-8-0-8-

"Well," Crona said from the air, "it looks like they've done their job quite nicely." She turned to her lover.

"Soon this will be ours." Kid agreed.

"Hey," Crona pecked him on the lips, "good luck."


	38. Siege of Shishuben Part 2

**AN: Woot! I'm on a role now! For once, I had fun writing these fight scenes.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I'll get back to them eventually. I have a lot of ends to tie as we approach the end. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**scizoid7loner: I'm glad, we got the last fight scene tucked away in this chapter. It's good to have you back too. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Artemis Yuki daughter of Johan: By the time you read this, you'll probably know the answer. But just for clarification, no. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Black Star rushed down the hall of Shishuben in a fury. Kid was behind the attack. Not only that, but was to blame for Maka's current state. As much as he wanted to hunt down the crazed shinigami, he had to warn Lord Death first. A dark chuckle drew his attention.

"I remember you." Crona slunk up behind the ninja. "You tried to kill me. I won't let it happen again." She hissed, sword drawn.

-8-0-8-

A voice, sweet and sorrowful, flitted across the Death Room. "Hello Mortis, it's been a while." Lord Death turned to see Iroha haloed in white light. She looked at him mournfully, her ghost like hair flowed gently in the air. The elder shinigami froze, for a moment, bombarded with emotions from long ago. Then logic set in once more. He had seen Iroha's soul destroyed like worn paper. There was no way this soulless image was the late Sekaigami.

"You'll have to do better than cheap illusions to fool your old man." Lord Death snorted. The apparition faded as he looked up to the ceiling of the Death Room. His son descended from above.

"Hello Shinigami-sama." He said stiffly. Shinigami-sama summoned his skull fissures.

"Now, is that anyway to talk to your father?" The ivory clamps flew through the air and sunk into his son's flesh.

"You really shouldn't under estimate me." He concentrated and the first line of sanzu connected. With a simple tug, the skulls dissolved into sizzling ash. "And you are no longer my father."

"Just because I didn't sire you, doesn't mean I don't care." Shinigami-sama shouted. "I raised you the best I could for eight years." Kid charged at him.

"So what, does that automatically mean I owe you everything?" He tried to land a punch, a kick; anything! But his father was faster.

"You are still a child, my child. I know you don't always want to do as I say, but the least you could do is respect my decisions." He didn't really want to fight his son. To be honest, he was still holding back. If only Kid would try to understand.

"Respect isn't something you deserve, you earn it. And you've lost mine." Kid fell back a bit. He was wasting his energy with blind assaults. He needed to try a different approach.

"What did I do to you that drew you to this decision?"

"It isn't what you did to me. It's what you didn't do for her." Kid growled with renewed fury.

-8-0-8-

Ragnarok fisted two serrated blades behind Crona as she lunged. She swung her heavy blade in every which direction, accompanied by the other two. Despite his accelerated speed, Black Star was having issues keeping up. One too many times, he narrowly escaped the bite of the blade.

"It's the end of the road for you, Ninja-kun." Crona grinned. All three swords came down together to slice through the boy, only to hit cold stone. She had only a moment to process before Black Star's onslaught began.

He had snuck up behind her in a flash. Each blow he landed on her back was packed with a short burst of his wavelength. They came in rapid succession, knocking one of Ragnarok's swords to the ground.

"Enough!" She shrieked and slammed the butt of her blade into his chest. Black Star tumbled to the ground. "That wasn't very nice of you." Crona remarked darkly.

-8-0-8-

Lord Death frowned at his son's accusations. It was becoming clearer how drastic the situation had become. "I did what was best for everyone else. It was too risky to have her hanging around."

"Hanging around?! Is that what you call building up someone, only to abandon them?" Kid declared. He tried to call upon his magic, but it was no good. He was too riled up to concentrate. "Your 'rules' have caused us nothing but problems."

"Then perhaps I have been too lenient." Three crosses from the graveyard rose. He hurtled them at his son, certain they would hit their mark. "I can see the witches' way of thinking has blinded you to what's truly important." The stones hit Kid just as Shinigami-sama thought they would. But when the smoke cleared, Kid was still standing. The second line had connected.

"I never lost sight of what was most important! I care for Crona and that's all that matters." His hands produced dull, blue flames. "Necrospheres!"

"What about your friends?" Lord Death accused, dodging the flaming projectiles. "What will happen to them if you continue on this path? Or your partners. When this is over, do you plan to shut them out as well?"

"S-stop it." Kid faltered. "SHUT UP! I don't have to listen to you anymore." His father sighed. White stripes of cloth coiled from behind Lord Death.

"You are making your decision based on your emotions." He sent the binding toward Kid, the very same that had trapped Asura many years ago. He planned to entrap Kid and talk to him once he had calmed down. "How can you hope to become a great shinigami by making such rash decisions?"

-8-0-8-

"Don't take it personally Crona," Black Star smirked from the floor. "I just don't take too kindly to being someone's stepping stone." He swung his leg, pulling Crona's out from under her. He sprung up and hit her with a Black Star Big Wave. "I'm the star of this show."

"A star? How poetic." By now two of her swords had been scattered across the hall. With her final blade, she slashed her wrist. "Bloody Slicer." The metallic substance sliced his shoulder. "Do you know what happens to a star when it dies?" Crona said, standing up. "It leaves nothing behind, destroying anything near it."

"Unfortunately for you, my glorious demise won't be here." He dodged her onslaught of attacks and slipped past her defenses. Crona's grip on the sword was lost when Black Star targeted her wrist. "Black Star Big Wave." He hit her again and the demon miester fell. One more hit and Crona would be done for. At the sight of her wounded from, Black Star hesitated. Just a few months ago Crona had been his friend. Could he really just kill her like that. "I'm sorry Crona."

Thick vines encircled his limbs and torso; black and covered with thorns. They stemmed from the three discarded weapons.

"You will leave nothing behind." Crona chuckled. Then the vines constricted.

-8-0-8-

Shingami-sama was caught off guard when the third line connected.

"I WILL NEVER BE LIKE YOU!" Kid grabbed the bindings before they could ensnare him. "Flames of Hades!" The seals lit on fire. Pieces crumbled to the floor and lit parts of the Death Room as well. "When I'm through, no one will be in charge. No one will try to run my life, and no one will stop me!" He tried once more to hit his father.

"You're wrong Kid. Someone will stop you." Lord Death shouted.

"I'm not going to let you." He snarled.

"I never said it was me. If this is why you're acting out; destroying me won't solve your problems. The curse-"

"Your stupid 'curse' is your excuse for everything." Kid's eyes began to glow a dark blue. "With your blood line cut off, Crona will be safe; once and for all. DEVINE JUDGEMENT!" Flaming skulls materialized behind him, a blue flame possessed them. When they opened their jaws, cannon fire shot out. Each shot hit the elder Shinigami, hurtling him to the ground.

Lord Death struggled to bring himself off the floor. Flames surrounded him as he looked up at his son. At all costs, he had to make his son understand. With his son in as a fully awakened shinigami, now was his best chance to explain the limitations of the curse. Who knew how long it would last, with his son's madness, he could slip back into a sorcerer like state.

"The curse isn't tied to my blood line, it's tied to the soul of the Shinigami." He coughed. "As the youngest, awaken shinigami, the curse falls on your shoulders. The descendent of Pandora cannot live while the current shinigami has power. In order for her to live past her 100th year, she would have to destroy your soul! Don't you understand!? No matter how angry you are at me; I'm not the one threatening Crona, you are."

"The unforeseen disaster…"

"Would be caused by your death. I never wanted this for you, that's why I tried to take care of it before the third line connected. I've been trying too protect you." Kid tried to strike, but he stopped himself. Even if he did defeat his father, Crona would still be in danger. Furthermore, the thought that Crona would one day turn on him, struck like a knife. The fears that bubbled inside him, caused the lines of sanzu to disconnect.

He had to find Crona.

-8-0-8-

Kid ran down the hall to the source of the coiling madness. Crona stood, in her thorned gown, like a jagged glimpse of midnight. A Cheshire grin was painted on her face.

"What's the matter dear?" She asked. "I can still find his wave length." Logic and fear combated inside. He shouldn't tell her the truth, she'd be furious. But, the last thing she needed was for him to lie to her again.

"I…I couldn't kill him. He told me-" Crona's fists clenched, her features soured.

"No, you _wouldn't_ kill him." Her girigori wings extended reveling black blood which crawled to cover the luminescent white wings. "You said you'd do anything to prove you loved me. Why would you lie to me!?"

"I didn't lie, but we have to stop this. We're fighting against everyone and everything that used to matter to us. I want us to be happy, there has to be another way out of this mess." Kid declared. His words didn't take hold. She should have known better. He was just another face out to kill her.

"Fine, have it your way, reaper! Go ahead and do your job." She swung her arm. At her command, thorned trunks erupted from the ground. Kid jumped out of the way and lit a flame within him hand. He couldn't die here, not now. Maybe he could bring in an illusion of Medusa after he hit her with a necrosphere. He looked up to see Crona crying as she summoned her blade. Once again, someone she trusted had turned on her. In her eyes, he had returned to Shibusen and thusly, had to be destroyed. That didn't mean she didn't like him anymore, she still did. But she was frightened that the one person she kept close would be the one to kill her.

Kid couldn't help but remember everything the two of them had been through. Every time he made her happy, every time he let her down; he had run. The flame in his hand died down as he closed his eyes.

"Screech alpha." She said softly. He wasn't going to run away this time. If one of them had to fall, then he would protect Crona to the end.

Crona's eyes widened as her wavelength hit. He hadn't dodged or fought back. Just stood there and let her slice him. His left arm was barely attached, yet still he did nothing. This was wrong, this was all wrong. She took a step back, he wasn't moving. He hadn't even opened his eyes. Was he just going to let her kill him?

It couldn't be true, he wanted to kill _her_. He was going to fight tooth and nail to destroy her just like everybody else had. However, all he did was fall to the ground and bleed. She didn't understand it, couldn't understand it.

So she ran.


	39. From Both Sides

**AN: Before anyone gets confused, this is the ****Hades' side of the legend**** (the one at the beginning of the story) after this, we'll have all the wrap up chapters and get some closure on this story!**

***Review Response***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I'm a bit of a softy though; I couldn't just leave the story like that. However, I don't know if this chapter in specific will help. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**TrypMonster: Ooh, new reader. I'm glad you like it. You got to come in at a point where I'm updating regularly XD Well I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Schizoid7Loner: This will hopefully explain the history. It's specifically the version of the legend that Hades didn't tell his family.**

A long time ago, when the world was new, Odin possessed the Earth. Like the demon Khonsus, he had no mortal form and was soon bound with in a realm to call his own; the Underworld. Through the years, he created three mortal sons: the eldest, Zeus, was gifted with the power of destruction, Poseidon, destined to one day sire the witches, and lastly Hades, charged with the powers of nature.

Soon came the day when Odin tired of the throne. However, he simply couldn't leave his post. Someone would have to take his place. He had hoped that the eldest would take on the vital role of Death, but Zeus had other ideas.

"Dear brother," He said one day to Hades, "did you know that father has fallen ill?" He sidled up next to his little brother, and put on his theatrically sad face. "It's terrible really, I wish I could go visit him, but I'm too busy with my duties. Mars is on the move again, and villages don't burn themselves to the ground."

"Then why don't you go Poseidon?" Hades remarked. The self proclaimed deity of the sea coughed.

"Uhh, I'm busy as well." He glanced at Zeus for direction. "However, I did scrape together something that will make him feel a great deal better." He held up a polished sulfur box. "I finally trapped that chaotic Jin. If you would deliver this to father, I'm sure it would hasten his recovery."

"Of course, you'll have to go on foot." Zeus reminded. "Only mortals can enter the realm of the dead. If you get bored, you can always mess with them on the way."

"And what if I don't want to go at all?" Hades huffed. "I have duties too. Without earthquakes or eruptions, you would be out of a job."

"If no one visits him," Zeus said solemnly, "father will get mad. He'll blame all three of us for his condition."

"Nature can be put on hold for a little while," Poseidon said sagely, "if for the betterment of its inhabitants." Hades took the box.

"Alright, but you owe me." Hades hissed.

"We certainly do, dear brother." Zeus grinned.

_Mirror, Mirror on the wall,_

_for a desperate soul I call,_

_surrounded by a chilling pall._

_Let me pull on the strings of fate,_

_to make her cooperate._

_How fun it will be to watch her fall._

As he wandered across Greece, Hades mulled over the concept of messing with mortals. Normally he wouldn't stoop to such a low form of entertainment, but the trek was long and no one was answering his messages from his hand mirror. The problem was how would he do it? The force of nature rarely effected only one individual and death was final. What could he do to mess with a mortal's fate. He was brought out of his musing by a soft cry.

"~_This is all my fault~_" a girl cried. He approached the figure collapsed beneath the shade of an old willow tree. He watched the girl with curiosity, then down at the sulfur dibbuk box. The release of madness into the world would provide a life time of trouble and would be the perfect way to get back at his brothers. Of course, if he opened it, there would be serious consequences. _But_ if a mortal opened the box; that would be another story entirely. In this flash of ingenuity, he decided to appeal to the girls' better nature.

"Such a pretty girl should not be crying in the woods alone." He said, trying his hardest to sound charming. This seemed to be the wrong way about things. For when the girl turned around, she was shocked rather than flattered. Odd, she let her ethereal beauty go to waste.

"W-who are you?" She sniffed. "I've never seen you around here before." How delightfully innocent she was. This was an easy target came.

"My name is Haden." He fibbed.

"Th-that's a s-strange name." She said as she leaned into the protective embrace of the roots. She really had no idea who he was. This was too funny.

"I'm a traveling Lord," he explained, "and couldn't help but see you were crying." He crouched down to look her in the eye. Not once, did the look of mistrust leave her face. "What could have made you so unhappy?"

"My friend went to talk to Lord Death about the safety of our village and I have a sinking feeling that she won't return. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen to me." Tears began to flow down her face again. "I don't have anyone else here." Hades frowned, no one escaped his father's domain, it was a rule. How else would he keep away potential challengers? A brief moment of guilt nibbled at his conscience when he looked at the box. He brushed it off and continued with his plan.

"Do you know what this is?" Of course she didn't, few did. But he could see that she feared his strange gift.

"A box?"

"Not just any box." He thrusted the box into her hands. "This box will grant your deepest desire."

"But I don't have any-"

"It's not really mine to begin with, but you seem to need it more than I." He was about to leave, when he remember the cardinal rule of altering fate. You had to give them fair warning, so the blame couldn't be thrusted on your shoulders. "A word of caution, in order to grant your wish, the box must take something of equal value. It will cost you your soul; so don't open it, unless you are prepared for the consequences."

As soon as he finished his shpeal, he left. Humans were selfish greedy things. He had no doubt that the girl would open the box. It was only a matter of time.

_Mirror, Mirror I declare,_

_this world it isn't fair,_

_I've traveled far only to be ensnared._

_Despite events I have onset,_

_she hasn't fallen yet._

_It couldn't be, have I begun to care?_

The entrance to the Land of the Dead was hidden within a pale twisted willow. It was easily spotted by Hades, as this was his father's domain. He paid no head when he entered, to the mortal that followed behind him. He walked to the Hall of Bones to meet with his father. The main hall was made of polished ivory, a lone chair sat at the end of the hall. The room was frigid, Hades could see his breath in the shadows; his father was in the room. Hades shadow stretched across the polish floor, yellow irises blinked to life.

"I'm surprised." The shadow rumbled, "I didn't expect _you _to arrive my son."

"My brothers figured someone had to come." Hades bowed. "We heard you were sick."

"Yes, indeed, I am sick." Odin replied. "Sick of this prison of mine, I am pleased you have risen to the occasion." The yellow eyes softened. "You always were the good child." At this Hades frowned.

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand."

"You have come to accept my place as the Lord of the Underworld. At last the time had come for you to become a full fledged god. It will be your duty to see to the judgment of lost souls." The shadow peeled off the ground and passed through the demi-god. All of the color had been sucked out of Hades, he fell to his knees and looked up.

"Father, there must be a mistake!" But he watched helplessly as his father's entire being faded back into a lifeless shadow.

"May you find solace within these walls where I did not." His father whispered. Hades' hands clenched and he let out a hollow laugh.

"Are you happy brothers? Does it please you to see me chained to the throne of Death?" He stood on shaky limbs. "Well the jokes on you! You will grow old and die, while I remain immortal; unhampered by time. I'm the one they'll remember brothers, not **you**!" This declaration still didn't sooth the uneasiness that had settled within his heart. The office of death was permanent, he couldn't quit. The only way he could even leave was on business through mirrors. Was there something he was forgetting?

For a brief moment the Hall of Bones was illuminated in red, and then it settled once more to a dull white. At once, Hades stormed past the empty throne toward the lower level of the castle. Underneath the body of the castle nestled a simple, circular room which held an enormous silver mirror. He swiftly pulled his hand across the surface.

"Show me the girl with the dibbuk box." He demanded. Just as he had suspected, Khonsus had once again been released. He saw the town covered in innocent blood and a girl being carted off in tears. Despite being the one who had unleashed Khonsus, she herself didn't radiate madness. He frowned; surely the girl should be a little pleased with the carnage she had produced. However, her face remained fixed in a pretty little frown.

He sighed and rubbed his temples, gods did not find mortals attractive; they were a nuisance. At least they were supposed to be. Yet, he couldn't help but find himself fascinated with this girl who seemed to unaffected spiritually by the madness. The other within his study, was not so much focused on Pandora as she was on the carnage of her village.

"So it was true." His 'guest' spoke in awe. Hades turned to see a girl standing in the doorway to the old Death Room.

"Who are you?" He demanded. She backed away quickly and he followed her heatedly.

"Persephone mi' Lord." She stopped cowering and gathered a handful of courage. "What have you done to my village."

"I do not control mortals, I just clean up after them." Hades sighed. "Now I suggest you crawl back to whatever terror that awaits you."

"You can't tell me what to do. I'm not one of your dead." Persephone snipped.

"Then what are you going to do? You can't leave here; the door way only opens from the outside." Hades groaned. "You're trapped here until you decide to die."

"Then I guess we're trapped together." Persephone stated and wandered off to find a way out of the Underworld. Hades sunk into an armchair and looked back to the mirror. All mortals were like that he reasoned. Though the longer he stared at the pink haired girl, the less he started to believe it.

_Mirror, Mirror at my side,_

_allow me to abide,_

_this love affair from only one side._

_I stay awake and pray,_

_she will be mine one day._

_Though I know she could never be my bride._

Once it became clear that Persephone was not going to take her own life, Hades stopped hounding her. He wasn't one to deny company, even if it was forced. And he took some comfort in knowing he hadn't been the only one tricked into staying in the Underworld. Other who later entered, would not fall under Hades good humor. She had become a part of his life, whether he liked it or not. And though on several occasions he had threatened to kill her, he never did act on it.

It did become clear over the next two years that he preferred his mirror of the outside world over Persephone's company. She was forbidden to enter the Death Room just as he couldn't enter the East Wing of his own castle.

He had become enthralled with Pandora as she continued to hold back the destructive impulses of the black knight. At first, it was just so he could check to see if she had finally snapped. However, soon Hades found himself watching just to see her. With each day she grew more beautiful as madness spread through the world. She didn't know how to handle the sudden positive attention she was receiving. Humble and reserved, she insisted on working with the merchant who had brought her to Italy in order to repay her debt.

It was an amusing escape for him as he came accustomed to watching her. Sometimes, he could almost picture himself there with her, outside again. Free.

"The one on the left is better." He said to the mirror as she shopped one day. Regardless of his remark, she continued to look at the tomatoes on a local cart. He shook his head as she continued to browse. "No, don't talk to him!" He groaned as a man swindled her out of an extra gold coin. "That's the third week he's done that! That's it; I'll cook up something special for you." He sighed. "Don't worry, Carlo won't mind. He never does." She was stopped on the way home by a stray kitten.

"Hades, when are you going to come up for-" Persephone froze in the door way. "What are you doing?" Hades jolted and turned off the mirror.

"Get out!" He shouted and ushered her out the door.

"Was that Pandora?" Persephone shrieked. "Why didn't you tell me she was alive?"

"I said get out!" Persephone pushed the Death god off of her.

"You said," She gasped, "you said everyone from Marvo was dead." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"It's my business," Hades spat, "I don't have to tell you everything." He locked the door to the Death Room, and then stormed off.

"Wait. Come back here!" Persephone demanded, but Hades did not heed her words.

He couldn't really justify the way he acted. It was childish really, but he wanted Pandora to himself. Of course that was completely illogical, especially since he couldn't leave the Underworld. But if anyone asked why he was watching over Pandora, he'd lie. The last thing he needed was a fool hardy mortal using her to get to him.

_Mirror, Mirror once again,_

_show me the soul from way back when,_

_I used to be freer than any men._

_If only she could see,_

_what she has done to me._

_I wish what I know now, I knew then._

Hades felt sick to his stomach as the scene unfolded in front of him. He should have known this day would come. The object of his affection walked down the aisle, dressed white, to the merchant from three years earlier. She was the perfect blushing bride. But she belonged to someone else. He turned from the mirror in disgust only to periodically glance back up at the wedding.

He could have killed Carlo there on the spot, but what was the point? It'd only make her upset. Besides, it would bring up too many questions if he reaped a soul before it's time. A knock at the door startled him out of his stupor.

"Hades?" It was Persephone. She sounded concern. "May I come down or would you prefer to come upstairs." He gave one last distressed look at the mirror before grumbling.

"I'll be right up." He ascended the staircase to come face to face with the only living being within his home. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. That is, nothing's wrong with me." Persephone sighed. "Look, I'm worried about you O.K. I don't know what you're doing down there, but it's not healthy."

"It doesn't matter, I'm immortal now anyway." Hades rolled his eyes.

"Even so, maybe you should take a break." Persephone chided gently.

"Break? I can't just take a break. I'm working." Hades argued.

"And just what is it you're working on?" Persephone demanded. "You're notified when there's a soul in need of your judgment regardless of where you are. What is it that's taken you away from meals and rest?"

"Important stuff, alright." He tried to walk away.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Persephone pressed. "I've been here long enough to know your job; better than you do apparently."

"I'm doing my best O.K. but it's hard. It's hard to watch people do horrible things and get away with it."

"…What kind of bad people?" Persephone asked. Hades froze, he had let his jealousy get ahead of his mental faculty. Now he had to dig himself back out.

"Well… Demons and Witches and such. They suck the souls out of living things and then I have to send Hell Hounds to retrieve them. By the time the hounds get there, a slew of people have died." He slowly pieced together an explanation for his absence. "Since I'm stuck here, I can't stop these people the moment I spot them, I have to wait for someone else to kill them." Persephone looked at him with pity.

"Things don't have to be that way. You're a god right?" She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure if you talk to some of the other gods, you could work something out. Everything's subject to change."

"Yeah, you're right." Hades beamed. "_I_ could change." If he played his cards right he could undo what had been done. Perhaps, even, win over Pandora himself. However when he returned to the Death Room to see Pandora being carried through the thresh hold he agreed that it was time for a rest.

Ten years is a blink of an eye to a god, but those around him tired of the war against the Wicken Queen who stayed tucked away in her palace. Persephone's obvious concern had distracted the shinigami from his unrequited love for a while. But every now and then, when he looked at his son Aeron, he felt a pang of regret.

_Mirror, Mirror the time has come,_

_there's a job that must be done,_

_the image you display I cannot fathom._

_For my angel sweet and shy,_

_the time has come to die._

_You'll never be free from my kingdom._

Hades stared at the mirror in shock. Pandora tore through the mansion, her time coming near. He took a deep breath and stepped through the mirror. He found himself in the master bedroom just as Pandora shattered the box that contained her soul. It gently drifted toward his open palm leaving a trail of poisonous madness behind it.

"Lord Death, thank goodness you've-" She looked up with tear in her eyes. "HADEN!"

"Hmm?" The male Shinigami furrowed his brow, "I'm not-" Suddenly he remembered his use of the false name. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Hades, now lord of the underworld." Pandora scooted away from him in fear, much like the first time he had met her.

"B-but when I met you, you said-"

"That I was a traveling lord, which was true. As you can guess my presences wasn't exactly welcomed in the towns that I passed through, so I simply changed one letter of my name while I migrated." Of course he didn't know at the time that he would become trapped in the underworld. Perhaps, if he had been more head strong, things would have been different.

"Then you-"

"Were the one that gave you the box, yes." While he was confused as to why she threw the box, he was certain that she would tell him. He would have to hear once more of how she met her prince charming who swept her away from all the people who hated her, never to hear from them again.

"No. Nononononono!" She cried, "This can't be, I thought that if I- and then you-" Pandora curled into a fetal position and bawled. That couldn't be right, she had gotten what she wanted. Everything the world had denied her was given to her through him. "I thought that if I broke the box I could take back the wish I made and now~ Oh if only I didn't open that stupid box everything would have been fine."

"…you didn't like the gift." This was all wrong. At least one of them should have gotten what they wanted. Now it appeared that the world had cheated them both. He was genuinely sorry, that last thing he wanted was for her to hate him. However, she had made the choice; it wasn't a simple matter of changing her mind after she saw the consequences. To fix everything and make it up to her, she would have to prove that given the circumstances she wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"How could I, because of it-"

"Then let's make a deal." Hades said, Pandora looked up from her knees. He held the same mischievous smile she saw when she first met him. "Since you don't like the way your wish turned out I'll give your soul a second chance. If one of your descendents can stand in the face in madness I will give you your soul back in exchange for the soul of a Kishen. But if your family can not break free by the 1,000th year your linage will die and your soul will be mine forever." Pandora thought.

"H-how do I know you won't cheat?" The Shinigami chuckled. There was no way he would lose, he knew her too well.

"I'll give you a fair chance. Your wavelength can guide your descendants and I will do the same for mine." He pulled on his own soul and held it in his other hand. "Do we have a deal?" Pandora hesitated then nodded placing a hand on his soul.

"Deal."

A wager on a god's soul is a tricky thing. For the moment they bet on another's existence, they also bet their own. In that moment, both Hades and Pandora perished. And while either side could try to blame someone, the fact of the matter was that they were gone for good. Only a fragment of themselves was left behind.

**An: This isn't the last chapter. There will not be a sequel. So if there is anything specific you want to see resolved let me know. We have about 2-3 chapters left together. **


	40. Confessions

**AN: Alright, here we are back in the present so to speak. This story will take a while to resolve, but I think I'll get it in about 4-5 more chapters. We'll just have to see.**

***Review response***

**TrypMonster: Summer tends to do that to us. But that's why I've been able to update regularly again. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I'm glad, I wanted to get it in after the 'end' of the story. The rest of the story is the wrap up/epilogue. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Prince James von Fairfax: I'm sorry. If you ever get confused, I'd be happy to clear things up. But you have to tell me why first. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Maka's eyes fluttered open as she took in her surroundings. The hallway was gone; she now lay in a hospital bed in the nurse's office. Bandages were wrapped heavily around her torso, making it hard for her to move. She let her head loll to the side and saw someone occupied the bed next to her.

"Hello?" She groaned.

"Maka, you're awake!" The curtain was pulled to reveal Black Star's battered grin. "It's good to see you… How do you feel?"

"Heh, I've been better. What happened?" He too had quite a bit of bandages himself. But it didn't seem to slow the ninja down too much; most of his injuries were superficial.

"Noah wasn't working alone." Black Star admitted. "We were caught off guard when we found out that Kid and Crona were the ones behind the attack. From what I heard, we stopped them."

"Kid?" Maka would have sat up, but it hurt too much to try. She pin pointed three different places where she must have been hit by Gopher.

"Yeah, he went off the deep end and tried to kill Lord Death. I guess he came to his senses briefly or something because he stopped Crona from reaching the Death Room, she got him pretty good though." Black Star sighed. "He's being treated in a separate room. Apparently he's still producing madness, though not as much as before."

"A lot happened while I was out." Maka snorted. She supposed it was Gopher who did this to her. It was a little hard to imagine, but fighting the crazed girl was the last thing she remembered. It was hard for her to picture two of her friends attacking the school with the previously deceased sorcerer.

"Look, Maka…" Black Star said slowly. "I'm sorry, none of this would have happened if I had asked for more help." Maka looked at her boastful friend incredulously.

"We all were caught off guard when Noah brought in extra people. You couldn't have possibly predicted everything." Maka sighed. It wasn't like Black Star to be humble.

"But that's just it. A good leader would be prepared for anything." During the time it took for everyone to cool down and lick their wounds, Black Star had concluded that he was the one truly responsible for Maka's wounds. Several 'what ifs' spun around in his head, each one pointing to a better future. However, he couldn't rewrite time.

"Well you aren't a good leader." Maka remarked.

"Maka…"

"I'd even dare to say that you were a very small leader."

"What?" Black Star exclaimed. "Maka, I already apologized. There's no need for name calling."

"Then grow up." Maka smirked. "You managed to get everyone out alive, that's better than most of our missions. You can't expect to be great at everything on your first try. You did fine." Black Star couldn't help but smile a little. "So why are you in here? Shouldn't you be jumping off of the roof or something hazardous?"

"Well apparently that Nova Barage move I used to defeat Noah was something my mother used against Shibusen soldiers once." Black Star rolled his eyes. "Now they're checking to see if I'm susceptible to the 'sway of magic' or something like that. Which is ridiculous, I'm not a witch. I don't think it's physically possible for me to be a witch. I mean, I'm a man for goodness sakes." Maka chuckled, knowing good and well that gender did not stop you from being a witch. But it was true, there was no way Black Star would fall victim to the sway of magic or become a witch. The pair looked up as Soul entered the room.

"Maka, you up yet?" Soul stopped when he saw Black Star. "Well if it isn't the leader who fell _short_ on the job."

"That's funny," Black Star grimaced, "usually you're the one who stays _cool_ under pressure." Within a couple of seconds the two were laughing. Though there was still a slight sting from each other's comments.

"Still under probation I see." Soul sighed.

"Yeah, I should have known better then to cry wolf. Now they won't let me go until I prove I have a halo." Black Star chuckled. Soul turned to Maka and offered her a flat package.

"How does it feel being on the other end of the bed?" Soul asked.

"Alright I guess." Maka sighed. "Once you guys leave I'll be bored out of my skull."

"Yeah, they said you should make a full recovery in a month." Soul snickered as Maka groaned in frustration. "Relax, that's why I brought you this." Maka carefully unwrapped the gift to find a kindle. "I know you have a thing for 'real' literature, but I figured it would be better than nothing. Plus you won't have to move too much to use it."

"Thanks Soul." Maka beamed. "Where's everybody else?"

"Well Liz and Patty are with Kid." Soul answered. "Tsubaki went to get us some food and Lord Death is dealing with the book of Eibon."

-8-0-8-

Shinigami-sama glared at the apparition that floated above the open book of Eibon. It swayed back and forth, much like Iroha's costume had long ago.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific than that." Eibon sighed.

"Why did you aid these children in attacking Shibusen." Shinigami clarified. Spirit and Marie were on either side of the book poised to strike.

"Ah, that's just it. I wasn't helping them, they were helping me. The creature you know as Noah is my puppet to the outside world. I can not leave these pages, you know that." It shook its head. "As for the other, I have no idea why she chose to stick around. I had no further use for her, yet she continued to stay. A human's will is one of the things I can't capture or fathom." It shrugged. "If you are looking for a motive other than idol curiosity then I suggest you ask her yourself."

"There is one more thing," Shinigami sighed. "what do you know of the curse of the sekaigami."

"That?" Eibon flipped the pages. "I don't have much, but Iroha was kind enough to give me the verbiage of the spell if that helps you any. _Dominium super animas vestras voluntates elit. Victoriam metetur liberum. Kishen exigit fugam._ To put it plainly, they are the stipulation of the spell; the exit clause if you will. In order for Pandora's lineage to be free from death, they would have to offer up the Kishen in exchange. Otherwise victory goes to the shinigami. Of course, there are loop holes, such as the dead don't reap."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious." Shinigami-sama grimaced.

"My pleasure; it is, of course, my job to be helpful." Lord Death closed the book and handed it to Sid.

"Have this locked up down below." He commanded. "Marie, bring in the girl." Moments later Gopher was dragged in. She was dressing in simple prison garb, her eyes tired from crying. "I suppose," He said to the girl, "the first question is who are you?" She looked up at him with scorn.

"I'll answer your questions on one condition." Gopher huffed. "You release Noah." Shinigami-sama thought a moment.

"We will seriously consider it." Shinigami-sama answered. "But we will not if you give us false information. Now I will ask you again. Who are you?"

"Of course, I don't suppose the DWMA remembers every one of it's ventures." She scoffed. "My name is Gopher."

"And why did you attack my students?" Shinigami asked. He carefully observed her soul for any tremors. Though he had to admit, her soul was stranger than many of the witches he had encountered over the years.

"Because Noah asked me to." She replied. "I owe my life to that man and you've killed him before me. Twice! I have every reason to despise you after the way you treated us! You left us to die!" Shinigami-sama frowned. She wasn't lying, but something was off with the girl.

"Spirit, Marie, Sid; leave me with the girl."

"Sir?" Marie began.

"She's bound and unarmed, I'll be fine." Reluctantly the death scythes left the room. "You mentioned that DWMA left both you and Eibon to die?"

"Not Eibon, Noah! He was one of your students for Christ's sake and you still can't recall what you did? Did their lives mean that little to you?" She shook with anger. Lord Death looked down at her in awe.

"You were at the Horrorscope massacre." Shinigami-sama concluded. "I'm afraid to tell you that neither of the students sent to that cite survived. One of them was murdered by a rogue Kishen and the other was eaten by the book of Eibon."

"Don't you try to hide the truth from me." Gopher hissed. "Rogue Kishen, hah! You were experimenting with the homunculus spell Claudia and Iroha created to see how it was done so you could understand those abominations you call clowns. Only you didn't have the guts to sacrifice any of your staff so you hunted down some of the people from your list and spliced two Kishen eggs to try to create a new soul. Of course, you didn't know what you were doing, so you accidentally created a monster instead. Because you couldn't control it, it threatened to destroy everything you worked for, so you sent your students to do damage control." She glared at him.

"How did you know that? The only survivor was-"

"Justin Law." She finished. "You don't really want to know who I am, because I represent everything you tried to cover up when the Kishen was born." She glared at him. "I was that monster. When I didn't act how you predicted you tried to have me killed, but Noah saw that I was still human inside and he knew he could help me. Each of the Kishen Eggs you send your students to harvest still has pieces of untainted soul preserved inside them, the humanity of the people you killed. It's forbidden to go against your orders, but he did anyway, and used the Book of Eibon to save me. For years he collected people from your list to piece my soul back together and give me back the humanity I had lost.

"But it wasn't enough. The pieces couldn't stay together, they didn't 'mesh' right, and every time I tried to fly my soul would just rip into shreads. So he looked to the book for answers. That's when it 'ate' him. He traded his body so I could be a whole person. And I have been spending every day since then trying to find a way to give him his body back. After all he's done for me; it's the least I could have done." She watched him walk over to the mirror during her tale. "I answered your questions. Let Noah go." Nothing happened. "Let him go dammit!"

"It does you no good to threaten me, it won't protect you." Shinigami-sama remarked. "You're the only 'survivor' of the incident and the only two people who know about it are you and me. It's your word against mine. Do you really think anyone will believe you?"

"So what are you going to do now, kill me? Or are you going to try to lock me away somewhere where no one will hear me." Gopher said. "Either way, I don't think your son would appreciate it if I vanished like his girlfriend did without his say in the matter." Lord Death didn't respond before there was a knock at his door.

"Shinigami-sama; it's about your son." Spirit called through the door. "He's awake."

"I'll be right there."

-8-0-8-

While Shinigami-sama was interrogating the prisoner, Liz and Patty watched over Kid's sleeping form. When they heard Kid had returned to Shibusen, their first reaction had been elation. That is, until they were told that he lead an attack on the school with the very people they had fought earlier. Patty took it harder then Liz had. She felt betrayed by Kid's past actions. On the streets, you looked out of each other no madder how bad things got. But it was almost as if Kid had forgotten that, and that's what hurt her the most.

Kid finally stirred, his arm still badly mangled. Had he used his shinigami powers, it would have healed faster. However, it was hard to do anything while losing buckets of blood. He sat up slowly and took in his surroundings. He was back at Shibusen, which meant he would have to face what he had done.

"KID!" Liz shot out of her seat when she saw the young shinigami sit up. "You're awake!"

"Liz, Patty; what are-" He was stopped by a firm smack to the face.

"Do you have any idea what you put us through?" Liz shouted. "For weeks we heard nothing after you abandoned us on the _moon_. Then when we finally track you down, you attack our friends with the psycho nut case that was supposed to be dead! The only reason we got you back was because someone else tried to kill you! I was worried sick about you this whole time and you almost got yourself killed." Kid looked down at the sheets as he was being scolded. "What were you thinking?"

"I-I found out that my father wasn't exactly the glorified god he wants everyone to think he is. It wasn't just one thing either, but when he went after Crona… I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out. I guess, under the effects of madness, killing my father seemed like the only solution." He looked up at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You idiot," Liz sniffled, "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Oh sure, he's sorry now." Patty snorted. "Just wait until he does something like this again." Liz looked at her with concern.

"Patty-"

"What you're going to defend him? We could have talked him out of this if he told us what was going on." Patty declared. "Heck, if he had told us from the get-go what was going on we could have helped him do something normal, like run away." She pouted. "If he can't even trust us with words, how can we trust him again." Kid looked at his partners and sighed.

"Patty, it wasn't that I didn't trust you." Kid confessed. "But going behind Shibusen's back is a serious offense; I've done enough damage here to warrant at least banishment. I didn't want to ruin your chance of becoming death scythes just because I had some doubts about my father's credibility." Patty's resolve softened a bit.

"We didn't come here to become Death Scythes, we came here to help you." She confessed.

"Did you honestly think a couple of street kids like us needed your protection?" Liz scoffed. "We're your partners, not princesses, remember?"

"I'm sorry," Kid sighed, "I promise if something goes down again, I'll let you know. That is if you want to risk it."

"You bet your ass!" Patty shouted. "We're, like, blood brothers man! We fight to the death for each other." Patty grinned and held out her pinky. "You better swear it." Kid looped his pinky with hers.

"I swear." Kid chuckled. It seemed both of his weapons forgave him. He just hoped it stayed that way once he told them everything. A knock came at the door.

"Kid, your father is here to see you." Stien said through the door.


	41. The Death of Iroha

**AN: We're almost done! I want you guys to know how much fun I had writing this for you guys. This will probably be my only Soul Eater fic, but I love you guys. So on with the chapter.**

Liz and Patty quietly left the room as Shinigami-sama came in. Kid couldn't bear to even make eye contact with him. Just one day earlier he had been so set on killing him. The elder shinigami sighed and pulled up a chair.

"I know it's easy to make me the bad guy." Lord Death began. "Many people do, in a way it helps them cope with the fact that life isn't always fair. However, it seems that this isn't one of those situations." He looked at Kid who continued to busy himself with the hem of his sheets. "I want to know why you've been so angry with me and don't bring Crona into this." He said sternly. "This goes beyond what's happened recently, I can tell." He waited patiently for Kid to find his words.

"You lied to me. About the magic tools, my mother and Asura being under the school."

"That's because…" Lord Death frowned, "They all hid the same thing. I didn't want everyone knowing the truth about your mother or me; we had just avoided a huge war, one we were just starting to recover from when we found you. You see, the problem was, I wasn't originally supposed to be a shinigami."

"What do you mean?" Kid frowned.

"My grandfather had been the last true shinigami before me. During his rule, he sealed our version of The Book of Eibon, the Necronomicon. With it, he also sealed the powers of the shinigami. Even his own sons couldn't open the book after he died. In order to break the seal, you had to have magic of your own." He sighed. "My uncle took over as Lord Death, but he wasn't truly a shinigami, more of a king. He was the one who campaigned against witches, before weapons had souls of their own. He thought that he could wipe out the entire population of witches if he just had the soul of a shinigami. So. once he found out he couldn't open the book, he wanted me to try. But if I successfully opened the book, I was the one who became the next shinigami."

"You say that like it was a bad thing." Kid frowned.

"At the time it was. I grew up hearing that all magic, regardless of its form was evil. Labels such as witch and shinigami became the same as calling someone a demon. No one knew the difference, even I didn't. My uncle promised if I did as he said that he would protect me. One of his stipulations was that I never left the palace, which I found ridiculous, and I often slipped away to see what was out there. That's when I met Claudia-san and Iroha. It was before I really harnessed my abilities to see souls, so to me they were almost identical." Kid remembered Claudia's home and the picture that had been torn on the wall.

"They used to switch around on people for fun, since so few could tell them apart." Shinigami-sama chuckled. "I asked Claudia to join me on an outing; I probably wouldn't have realized it was Iroha if she hadn't started laughing hysterically at my expense. I became so flustered I didn't know what to do with myself, but she was kind and apologized for the prank."

"You…fell for her?" Kid asked. It was so awkward talking to his dad about things like this.

"Yes, though it was foolish of me. I knew both were candidates to become the Sekaigami, a wicken goddess of nature, but still I persisted." He shook his head. "Iroha had such grand ideas of making people see that witches weren't evil. I even helped her create some of the magic tools that she hoped would prove how witches could help misters and bridge the gap my uncle had created. He had already started to build up the idea that the shinigami weren't creatures of magic, but were humanities saving grace. It seemed ridiculous, but when Claudia went rogue people would believe anything if it meant they would be safe. In the confusion, people were saying it was Iroha who had become a sorceress.

"Eventually the time came where she asked me to destroy the Necronomicon so that her people knew I wasn't a threat. However, I too had started to believe some of the rumors. People who I thought were my friends told me if I destroyed the Necronomicon, then there would have been no way to protect Death City."

"Who told you that?" Kid asked sardonically.

"My uncle. I figured if I used the book for myself, I would be able to control the powers of death, protect Iroha from my uncle and protect Death City from the sorceress that had started killing people." His shoulders sagged. "But I had no control at all. When you first awaken as a shinigami, you lose control of your very soul. All I could do was run on instinct and rely on the people around me to guide me. Claudia took advantage of that, and told my friends that Iroha became the sorceress after she consumed the soul of a bird. So I launched an attack on Salem, so many fled and went into hiding. I didn't see Iroha for a long time after that." Kid froze, he knew what happened the next time his father found his mother. But the question just slipped out of his mouth.

"When did you see her again?"

"We got a tip that Iroha had taken a great deal of witches to a temple called Grimoire in Alaska. There she had been protecting witches as long as they supplied her with materials for a spell. It was a spell so powerful and dangerous that she had told no one of its purpose. After we had seen clowns running around like crazy, it wasn't hard to think Iroha must have been behind it."

"What about Claudia?" Kid interjected.

"A different team went to inspect some strange disappearances while I traveled to Grimoire. They found Claudia was behind the disappearances and thought Asura was one of the children she kidnapped." He sighed. "It wasn't until much later that we realized he was the demonic weapon, not Iroha's spell."

-8-0-8-

Another knock came at Maka's door.

"I didn't know this was going to turn into a party." Soul chuckled.

"Wait, Soul. Don't-" It was too late. Soul had opened the door and let her father in.

"Oh Maka, I'm so glad you came out of that alright." He took a seat next to Maka who looked rather unimpressed by the spectacle her father was making. "I just don't know what I would have done if I lost you! I wanted to stay and fight, but I got on message duty instead." He turned to Soul and Black Star. "You two boys should have taken better care of her!"

"Papa?" Maka interrupted.

"Yes dear?" Spirit cooed.

"You want me to feel better right?" Maka asked. She did her best to seem sweet as she asked.

"Of course dear."

"Then would you please leave? You're giving me a headache." Maka huffed.

"Aww, but Maka, I came to give you a get well present." Spirit pouted. "One I know you'll like." He put on some tears to show just how much she needed to let him stay.

"Alright," Maka sighed, "but could you please make it quick." Spirit's demeanor changed, he looked at her dead in the eye and held her hand.

"In a couple of minutes Stien will walk through that door and ask you to help him treat Kid." Spirit began, all joking tone lost. "They're going to want you to use your anti-magic wave length to eliminate the madness within Kid. Tell them no."

"Papa!" Maka exclaimed. Kid was her friend and regardless of whether or not he attacked her, he needed help. Not to mention the fact that Soul and Black Star were still in the room.

"You are the only one who can help Kid permanently." Spirit insisted. "If they keep asking you, tell them no unless they agree to honor your terms."

"…My terms?" Maka frowned. She looked to her friends, but the merely shrugged.

"To break off your engagement with Shinigami-sama's son, you can use this as your probable cause." Maka's eyes widened. She snatched her hand away.

"Are you asking me to black mail Lord Death into calling off the engagement?" Maka exclaimed.

"Shh… Not so loud." Spirit looked to the door. "I'm not telling you to do anything. All I'm saying, is that this will probably be your best opportunity to break it off. That is, unless, you want to marry Kid." Maka looked down at her lap. "I just want you to be happy." She gripped his hand and smiled.

"Thanks papa."

"Anything for my little girl." Spirit grinned.

-8-0-8-

Kid finally looked at his father. He wondered if the man would actually admit to killing his mother. "Was that before or after you destroyed Grimoire?" He demanded.

"Before," Mortis admitted, "we went there expecting to find Iroha with an army. Many miesters attacked the outer walls trying to break in, only there was no army." His form sagged as he remembered the event. "Iroha stumbled out of the doors of the temple and begged me to call off the attack. When I saw her, I was shocked. Part of me didn't want to believe she had really used sorcery. But her soul-" He stopped and collected himself. "Her soul had been torn to shreds. She wasn't the same person anymore. She had become this crazed sorceress that was using madness to stay together. The spell she had used had taken that much out of her, the spell I thought she was going to use to destroy me." He hung his head, his voice tired and faint. "I thought I was doing the right thing and protecting the people of Death City. But she wasn't the sorceress; there wasn't even enough of her left to fight back. By the time I found out it had been Claudia the whole time, it was too late."

"So what was in Grimoire anyway, the brew?" Kid grunted. He supposed that was the closest to a confession he'd get from his father.

"That," Shinigami-sama agreed, "and you. She sacrificed her soul and her power to create you. No one had ever seen a human that had been conjured into being before."

"But I'm not human." Kid argued.

"And neither was Asura." Shinigami-sama added. Kid looked up at his father in utter confusion.

"Claudia… made Asura?" Kid asked. His father solemnly nodded.

"The reason I lied to you was so you didn't have to deal with people constantly doubting you like I did. I didn't want people calling you a death demon or what not." Shinigami-sama relented. "Though no one would get away with calling my son that, but they'd think it all the same if they knew." He looked at Kid. "And you would have acted differently if you knew." Kid couldn't disagree. Just the memory of Asura sent shivers down his spine.

"…What about Crona?" Kid finally asked. "Why did you have to send her away. She would have been safe with us." Was it just him, or were the walls around him always red?

"I was worried that you were starting to make the same mistakes I did." Shinigami-sama sighed.

"What, trusting witches? I don't see how that could be so bad?" Kid huffed. He could hear the world laughing at him for asking such a question. Especially while he was weak and couldn't protect himself.

"The witches have hated us for a long time. They blame us for what's happened to them, it's our role in this world." Lord Death lamented. "We take the blame for their misfortune so that people who can't protect themselves can be safe. If they saw Crona had become welcome in Shibusen, they'd use that to infiltrate the school like Medusa did. Only we wouldn't be able to make them leave just because they were witches." He gave his son a pat on the head. "We'll continue this talk later. I'm sure you'll feel much better later." He stood and left the room, his son would need all the rest he could get.


	42. Healing Touch

**AN: Sorry I didn't respond to reviews in the last chapter. I thought I had put them in already. So I'll answer the reviews from the previous two updates. The next chapter will be the last and will include the unofficial soundtrack for the story. Thanks for the marvelous ride.**

**ChocolateReader: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: I wanted to make sure that it explained why she did what she did as well as how she was involved with people. Though I do feel like we're kinda playing 'Where's Carmen Sandiego' XD Thank you for reading and reviewing. **

**TrypMonster: We're coming to a close now, but we got one more chapter to munch through. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Deathstroke Terminator: ^^ Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Soul and Black Star flanked Maka, each looped their arms under her's and helped her stand. Once she was steady on her feet she nodded at Stien. They walked down the hall in silence to Kid's room. The two boys continued to support her as they reached the door.

"This is your last chance to back out." Stien reminded her.

"I know," Maka agreed, "that doesn't mean I'm going to change my mind."

"It was that kind of attitude that made your mother take away my test subject." Stien grinned.

"It's also what got my mama this far." She looked at her friends. "You don't have to tag along if you don't want to."

"You're not getting rid of us that easily." Soul smirked.

"We got into this together, now we're going to help you out." Black Star agreed. They opened the door and entered the room.

"Maka…" Kid said. He noticed the bandages that were wrapped around his friends. "Dr. Stien, what's going on?" Stien took on his professional demeanor.

"You're prolonged contact with Asura has effected you adversely." Stien explained. "We're here to reverse that effect. Maka will be doing the procedure for me." Kid sunk back into the bed.

"I don't have a say in this do I?" He sighed.

"Quit being such a baby." Black Star snapped. "If Maka can get out of bed, you can deal with an experimental procedure."

"You haven't done this before?" Kid asked. He looked up at Maka, hoping to find some sanity in the room.

"Come on; you trust us, don't you?" Maka grinned. Kid sighed.

"I really don't have a choice now, do I?" He chuckled.

"All joking aside," Stien interrupted, "you will have to trust Maka much like you have to, to do a group resonance. If you don't, there could be some complications."

"Way to put us at ease Stien." Soul drawled.

"I'm just being honest." Stien stated. "Are you ready?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, first of all, Kid you have to close your eyes. Now Maka I need you to find Kid's wave length. Boys make sure she's steady." Everyone did as they were told. "Alright, Kid you're going to have to relax for this to work. Maka resonance with the other two, we'll need all the strength we can get. Once you've done that Maka, you'll have to try to overpower Kid's wavelength. Kid the less you fight back, the better off you'll be."

Maka concentrated on Soul and Black Star. The three managed a steady resonance link, and then Maka reached out to link to Kid. While successfully linked, she couldn't over power Kid's wavelength. Nothing was happening.

"Kid, I told you to relax." Stien reprimanded. "Don't reach out to Maka, wait for her to come for you." Kid lessened his output and felt Maka's wavelength come in closer. He felt a ripple of fear run through him. "Keep calm." Stien reminded. "This isn't going to hurt you. Now Maka." Maka pushed against his soul with all her might and tried to envelope Kid's Soul like Stien had told her to do.

-8-0-8-

Maka felt weightless as she floated through the empty space. Eventually she found Kid's wavelength and entered, much like she had with Crona's. She was surprised to find a castle floating in front of her, rather than an enclosed room like Soul's. She pushed on the door and finally made her way in. From the corner of her eye, she saw a black clock whip behind a corner.

"Kid, is that you?" She ran down the dark halls, which held row after row of tarnished paintings. The torches that lined the halls were unlit, but instead fed into the darkness with tendrils of black smoke. "Kid, I need to talk to you." Maka shouted. She turned a corner, but was once again too slow. In this childlike form she couldn't keep up. It wasn't long before Maka found herself lost in the labyrinth of passage ways. "Kid!?" She called.

Soon she came to a large iron door, a thick chain kept it from opening, though it was slightly ajar. A cold wind washed over her as she turned away from the door and saw the cloaked figure. He faced the other way and started to run.

"Kid, where are you going!" She reached out to grab the cloak, but it passed through her hand. She stopped, as did the figure. "…you're not Kid." It didn't have any life within it, but rather seemed to suck life out of the room. Slowly it turned around and growled, bearing the skull of a dog for its face. It dropped on all fours and spikes shot out of its limbs as the foe cloak fell. "What are you?" Maka asked. Since she was unarmed, she didn't have much choice.

"That's a Death Demon." A frightened voice said behind the door. The beast howled and whipped a sharp tail with a blade at the end. Black smoke poured out of its mouth and pooled around its feet.

"Kid is that you?" Maka asked as she backed into the door. "You have to come out here."

"No, if I leave I won't be able to get back in." Chibi-Kid stressed. "What if something bad happens, what if that thing gets me?" Howling, the Death Demon stalked forward. "What if I fail again?"

"If you spend your whole life worrying about what might happen, nothing will change." Maka argued. "Things will always be out of your control, because you won't do anything to take control." She looked through the crack in the door at the masked boy. The Death Demon raised a clawed paw and struck. Maka had to jump out of the way, but barely made it. "Kid, do something!"

"That isn't mine anymore." The child admitted. He crouched down by the door and continued to watch. "It won't listen to me." Maka dodged another blow; any harm she caused to the Death Demon could adversely affect Kid if she wasn't careful. That's when she noticed the black smoke pouring from the demon's mouth. Soul had mentioned that his demon had wanted him to use madness. What if Kid was doing the same?

"Well it's a Death Demon isn't it?" Maka demanded. "As a shinigami, you should get it to listen to you."

"I don't want to be a shinigami." Kid shouted. The black smoke billowed from the demon's mouth, making it hard to see where it was. She changed her tactic and slammed her body into the door. "What are you doing!?"

"If you don't like it," Maka demanded, "then come out here and stop me!" The chain snapped and the ground rumbled beneath them. With a might bang the door swung outward, clearing the black smoke from the hall. The Death Demon was still frothing at the mouth, even as his other half exited the room. Kid looked older and was attired in a black, muslin cloak; his hair completely ringed with three white stripes. Aged as well, Maka stood up from the ground and eyed the Death Demon carefully.

"I'm going to ask you again, what is that thing?" Maka insisted.

"Don't you know you're history Maka?" Kid asked. "Death Demons were Hell Hounds corrupted by witches." The aforementioned demon launched itself toward Kid who grabbed it by the mangled ears. "This is what happened when I fought Asura." His hands started to warp slightly from holding back the beast. "A little help?" Maka nodded, remembering her instructions. She placed a hand on its back and pushed against it with her own wavelength. All at once the black smoke rushed out of the demon and left behind a just the mask.

"Where did it go?" Maka asked.

"Well since you coerced me outside, I didn't have much use for him." Kid admitted. He pocked the mask somewhere within his coat. Light once more returned to the nearest pair of torches, though Maka was still curious about what lie behind the iron door. Kid took notice of this and simple said. "It's closed for a reason, I assure you it is beyond even Asura's reach." Maka bit her lip, but she knew she shouldn't pry.

"See you on the other side." She teased.

-8-0-8-

Maka had done it once by accident in order to understand Crona, but this time she was trying to purify a soul. She felt herself pull out of the three way resonance and opened her eyes. Kid was breathing, that much was clear. But was he really better like he had said? She looked to Stien hoping for him to answer her.

"There's no reason to look so scared." He said calmly, "He's fine. You did good." Maka let out a sigh of relief and looked to her two friends.

"Alright, let's get me back to my room." Maka ordered. "I can't wait until I can walk on my own again. Stien held to door for the three as they exited the room. Once they had begun the treck down stairs he turned to Shinigami-sama.

"What are you going to tell everyone?" He asked.

"…Do you think they'll believe that the engagement was a practical joke?" He asked.

"From you sir, they'd believe the sky was orange." Stien answered.

"I suppose. I can't say that I'm not disappointed," Lord Death sighed, "but it appears that children won't listen until they see for themselves."

"That's why I didn't want to work with children." Stien admitted and turned to leave.

-8-0-8-

Shinigami-sama returned to his son's side as soon as he heard that the operation was a success. He took a seat next to his son and asked him how he was doing.

"Fine all things considered. I should be able bodied enough to go home tomorrow." There was an awkward pause. "Father, I need to know; what exactly is the curse that's tied to the shinigami."

"It's a contract, an ancient one that must be fulfilled whether the parties involved wish to fulfill it or not." He then added. "The contract itself was in latin. But it states that if the shinigami doesn't receive the soul of a kishen from a stable descendent, that her soul will belong to the shinigami. The dead line is in about eighty years, but it will come faster than it seems." He pat his son on the head. "I'm sorry son, I really didn't want you to have to deal with this."

"It's alright." Kid sighed. "You tried your best."

"I know you'll figure this out Kid." Lord Death smiled. "You always were good at that." He paused as he exited the room. "Don't stay up too late, alright." Kid nodded and the lights switched out. The young shinigami flopped back onto his bed. He had been told it would take a few days for his spirit to settle before his stripes would connect permanently. This was exciting news, but by the same token, it meant that he would once again work under the order of Shibusen. It wouldn't be so bad, but finding Crona was his top priority. Once he settled things with her, he would return to Shibusen for good.

Kid looked through the window out at the rain that continued to patter onto the grounds. However, his view of the campus was block by a girl with black wings.


	43. In The End

**AN: This is it folks. It was a great ride, but this will be the final chapter. At the end of this there will be an unofficial soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you all for coming along for the ride.**

***Review Response***

**Moonlightpheonix-xX: No there will NOT be a sequel. Thank you for reading and review.**

Kid slowly slide out of bed and made his way to the window. He opened the latch, letting the panes swing inward. He stared at Crona as she sheepishly held onto Ragnarok's sword form. She looked down at the window sill.

"I wanted to see if you were alright." Crona admitted. She was a little shocked to see him up and about already, but at the same time relieved.

"It's pouring outside." Kid commented, at a loss for words.

"Yeah."

"...Would you like to come in?" Kid stepped aside to let her in.

"Ah, sure- that is if you don't mind." She stepped into the room, but kept Ragnarok close. After staring at the floor, she turned to face the shinigami. "Why didn't you fight back?"

"The whole reason we came to here was to get rid of what threatened you." Kid sighed. "And that turned out to be me."

"But you didn't fight back, you didn't try to kill me." Crona insisted. "How would that make you more of a threat than him."

"There's this ancient curse that says that your soul will be reaped without adequate exchange." Kid explained. "The Kishen's soul would have been fine, but I was the one to kill him; not you. Even if I don't lift a finger, the contract still stands."

"So that's just it?" Crona asked. "You're not going to do anything?"

"Crona, I'm so sorry." Kid confessed. "I never meant to hurt you with any of this, I thought I was doing the right thing. I will protect from this, I just... haven't found out a way. Please don't hate me."

"I never said I hated you..." She shrank, "You weren't making much sense, and it scared me. I came back didn't I?" He gestured to her hands.

"With a sword." He smiled in spite of himself. "I didn't expect much different though."

"Shini-kun, I don't want to lose you." She reached a shaking hand out towards him. "Let me take you out of here. We can find someone to help us." He wanted to, but he had made a promise to his friends as well. He couldn't just disappear on them again.

"I can't run away right now." Kid sighed. "Even if I did, your soul would still be in danger."

"So that's just it, you're giving up?" Crona gawked.

"It's not as simple as-" Kid tapered off. It was so simple why hadn't he seen it. The contract stated that in the end, Crona's soul would belong to him. It didn't specify what state it had to be in. If he could convince Crona to surrender while she was alive, maybe they could find a way out of this. "That's it!" He turned to her. "You have to give up."

"What?" Crona sputtered.

"The curse says that if you don't win, you're soul belongs to me. Than our problems will be solved." He took her hands gently in his own. "But you have to trust me for this to work." She was terrified at the prospect of losing control of her life again. But she could tell he was certain it would work. She considered her last encounter with him, how he refused to fight. If he really wanted to hurt her, he would have done it all ready.

"Alright Shini-kun, I trust you." She took a deep breath. Part of her screamed that this was a mistake; that she was going to be tricked again. But she ignored this and continued on. "I give up; you win."

There was a brilliant flash of light, she could feel her body grow numb and cold. Her soul was starting to separate from her body and leave. She could hear herself scream in agony. This wasn't right. A warm hand rested on her heart and pushed her soul back into place.

"As the owner of this soul," He said with eyes aglow, "it is my wish that it remains right here; with you." Blue fissures weaved her soul back into place. She looked up at him, teary eyed.

"Shini-kun, I don't feel well." Her legs buckled beneath her, but he caught her before she fell.

"It's alright," Kid said as he held her, "you'll feel better soon." Despite his gentle tone, his hands were still shaking. She had almost died in front of him. He wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to know what to do, but there was no doubt in his mind. Crona was safe now, and would be for a long time. A sudden thunder came up to his door.

"Kid, are you alright!?" Shinigami-sama asked.

"We heard a scream!" Liz added. The door flung open for the school to see that Crona was back within the walls of Shibusen. But this time, she was too weak to run.

-8-0-8-

Shinigami-sama couldn't believe his eyes. There in front of him was the person who had battered his child mentally and physically. He ordered Spirit to transform, and readied his weapon should the wild miester decided to strike. Liz had already crossed the room and separated the witch from Kid's grasp.

"Have you lost your mind!?" She declared. Kid's eyes were drawn to his father's hostility.

"Don't, leave her alone." Kid declared.

"You have ten seconds to explain what is going on here." Shinigami-sama growled. His gaze never left the weak miester who now occupied the bedside chair.

"Now, now" Spirit chided, "I'm sure Kid has a perfectly reasonable explanation for all this." Trying to judge the damage, Kid looked at his closest friends and family. Patty stepped forward, though not to protect him as her sister did.

"You were like this last time." She said softly. "You left us because of her." She tried to find the reason why in his gaze.

"She needs help," Kid began, "she wouldn't have gotten this bad if it weren't for me. Maka helped her before, why can't she help her again." He gave her a reassuring glance. He needed to tread carefully, the less rash he acted, the better his chances were.

"Well for starters, she nearly killed you." Liz reminded.

"The crimes she committed are punishable by death." Lord Death said darkly.

"As are mine." Kid said firmly. "Are you going to kill me as well." The room went silent as father and son glared at each other. "Forgive my ignorance father, but I was under the impression that you were going to pardon me despite the fact I tried to kill you."

"That isn't the same." Shinigami-sama admonished. "You weren't in control of your actions, because of her influence."

"And she wasn't in control because of Medusa." Kid glowered. "This double standard stops now. Either you pardon both of us, or…" He looked at his two weapons. "Or verdict applies to both of us and we run again." He was firm in his declaration, forcing his father to choose between tradition and his child.

"Kid please be reasonable." Spirit pleaded.

"And we go too," Patty declared, "right sis?" Liz faltered, but remembered Kid's promise. It was clear now the cause of his betrayal.

"Yeah." She relented and stepped in front of the pair.

"So what will it be father?" He could see the lord's hands grip the scythe, forced to make a split decision.

"She's back under probation," He finally decided, "you both are. If you give us any reason for suspicion, the sentence will stand. Do you understand that?" He was giving Kid one last chance to reconsider.

"Yes father."

"Spirit, find another room, not in the dungeon. She'll be under strict surveillance." Spirit transformed and nodded. "We'll make more permanent arrangements after Maka cares for her tomorrow. She needs her rest, you all do." He wasn't completely pleased with this, but he wasn't about to lose his son again.

-8-0-8-

Gopher had managed to talk herself out of incarceration, but she couldn't win the same freedom for the Book of Eibon. She had seen before how Noah had sprung from the book like a phoenix from the ashes. But the Book and Eibon were now chained and bound under the school. She returned to the ramshackle church, the place of her second birth. It didn't seem so warm and cheery now that no one was home. She had killed Giriko by accident and Justin had abandoned them in their time of need. Now all she had left was the church.

The sun was just peaking over the horizon as she trudged inside. She got what she wanted didn't she? Her fight was finally over. The door swung shut with a definitive clang that echoed around the room.

"Gopher is that you?" A familiar voice called. "Bring me a cup of coffee." She held her breath and carefully walked up to the study. A young man sat at Noah's desk, papers cluttered the desk. His hair was neatly trimmed and he wore a white dress shirt with dark wash jeans.

"N-Noah-sama?" The man looked up expectantly.

"Yeah, didn't you forget something?" He rolled his eyes.

"You remember me? You actually remember me!?" Her eyes went to the paper on his desk, some of which had been torn from the Book of Eibon. He must have escaped through one of the pages they used for travel.

"How could I forget my greatest accomplishment?" Noah scoffed. "You embody everything I've worked for. And I can do it again. I'll need an empty body, but after that I'll be free from that cursed book forever." He turned back to his papers. "But I've been up all night, so do me a favor and get some coffee."

"Would we have to, erm, fight to get this body?" Gopher pried.

"What!? Goodness no, why would I lower myself to such barbaric standards. We'll just have to scope out a few hospitals until someone pulls a plug. You can manage something like that easy." He looked up for her. "Can I get my coffee now?" He was a little irritated, but that was to be expected. "And don't cry into it."

"Yes Noah-sama," She saluted, "right away." It was good to be home.

-8-0-8-

In a dark room of Shibusen, the sword miester lay in her bed. She had finally regained consciousness, but her body still refused to cooperate with her other than the occasion twitch. Her black blood had made it difficult for the staff to care for her, but she suspected that mostly had to do with how troublesome it had been for her to stay awake. The door to her room slowly creaked open.

"Shini-kun, is that you?" She asked. The world around her had taken a dream-like quality, as the numbness slowly but surely left her body. However, she knew that people had come to see her, among which, had been the recovering shinigami.

"No, it's just me." The blonde sythe miester sighed.

"...Maka, right?" Crona murmured. "I thought... Someone said you were bed ridden."

"I was, for a while actually." Maka agreed. "You've been out for a while, we've really been worried." She came to sit at a chair closest to the pinkette. "Now that we're both feeling better, I figured I could try the purification process. You should have heard the guys complain when I told them I was going in alone." She chuckled. "I don't know how easy it will be this time, a lot has changed. When we first met, you kept saying that you didn't know how to deal with people, but once you got to know us, you started to open up more. I hope that, that part of you is still alive."

"I'm sorry." Crona shook her head. "I don't remember any of that. Were we close?"

"You said I was your first friend." Maka solemnly agreed. "And I still am your friend, even if you can't remember me." She offered her hand to the bed ridden girl. Crona tentatively took it.

_Maka saw Crona's as if it had been drowned in a murky oil slick. She pushed against the orbiting madness and felt herself get sucked in like so many years ago. Deeper and deeper she plunged until she finally broke through to the surface. The beach, once familiar and dry, was covered by a blackened sky forcing the sand below to be forever cast under a shadow. There were no seashells or sticks, or any other sign that it had once been full of hope. She touched down onto the sand and let herself change once more to her younger self.__  
><em>

_"Hello?" She called, "Is anyone there?" A slight whimper caught her ear. She ran across the barren sand to find her old friend sitting, with her legs folded up to her chest. "There you are!"_

_"How did you know where to find me?" Crona sniffled. "I didn't think anyone would look for me anymore?"_

_"What do you mean?" Maka pouted. "We've been here the whole time. All you had to do was look for us."_

_"You don't understand. Nobody needs me anymore. My people waited so long for a sekaigami that they've forgotten what they were waiting for in the first place. My purpose, what I was supposed to do, was to protect nature and all living things. But witches don't want peace or balance anymore, they want a tool for revenge. And I even failed at that. Now that I've hurt so many people, even Shinigami-sama doesn't want me around. I have no place in this world anymore."_

_"That's not true! Your our friend, once your free from madness, we can help you." Maka tried, but Crona shot up from the ground and glared at her._

_"How?" Crona cried. "Look around you! We are standing in a wasteland of my horrendous actions and I've given up trying to fix it. There is no hope for me."_

_"That's not true and you have the proof with you." Maka pointed to the seat of Crona's dress, where the white rose lay pressed against the fabric. "You have carried the hope that you can change with you this whole time and you still have it now." Maka grinned. "Now all you have to do is act on that hope." _

_"I've lost so much already, what if it happens again?" Crona asked._

_"Then we'll just have to make new memories together all over again." She grabbed Crona's hands and held them tightly. In an instant, the rose began to bloom again, covering Crona's black dress with pure white buds. The dark clouds in her soul slowly ebbed away and made way for the clear blue sky. The beach bellow their feet gleamed in the golden sunlight. Although there was no way to retrieve her old memories, there was plenty of room for a new ocean to take root._

-8-0-8-

At the balcony of Shibusen, Black Star stood and waited for Maka to return from the purification process.

"Is she alright?" He asked as the scythe meister came to join him.

"Yeah," Maka said with a stretch, "it was tough, but I really think I got through to her. It was kinda surprising people took the broken engagement so well." She sighed. "I'm just glad things have settled down a bit now." They stared out over Death City. Several buildings were in the process of being repaired and lay under the warm light of the setting sun. "I still don't think things will ever go back to the way it was."

"Is that necessarily a bad thing?" Black Star asked. "I mean, sure the world ended up going to pot, but we're a lot better off now because of it."

"So if the world's changed for the better, does that mean your era's here at last?" Maka joked. Black Star let out a hearty laugh.

"Not quite, but it's definitely getting there." He had a long way to go before he could brag about how he had defeated a god. After all, he was still only a one star miester. However, there was no doubt in his mind that he would truely rise above the gods. "In a few years, the first thing people will think of when they hear the Star Clan will be a great hero rather than a bunch of criminals."

"Does that mean you're going to try to rebuild your clan?" Maka asked.

"I don't know yet, but it'll be fun to find out." Black Star sighed. "Of course, making Tsubaki a Death Scythe is top priority. I mean, think of the awful rumors that would spread if people heard the great Black Star dated a miester out of his league. My halo would come crashing down around me in seconds flat." He slapped the railing and turned to leave.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maka frowned, Black Star didn't talk to too many people outside their immediate circle. All of which were one star miester, that is, except her.

"I can't tell you yet, Soul would kill me." Black Star chuckled, sticking out his tongue. "You'll just have to wait for my era to get here."

"Wait, Black Star?" He began to run down the hall, and couldn't help laughing when Maka gave chase.

-8-0-8-

Night had fallen and the moon's light had begun to trickle into the small room. Crona sat on the edge of her bed and looked out to the sky line. A gentle knock came at her door.

"Come in." She said, looking away from the window.

"I heard they aren't letting you outside yet." Kid said as he walked into the room.

"They won't even let me leave the room without two people following me." Crona agreed.

"I'm sorry, it's going to take them a while to trust you again." Kid sat down next to her and held her hand. "Besides, you still need your rest."

"...I haven't heard from Ragnarok in a while. He's still here," She placed a hand on her chest, "but I he hasn't said a word. What if whatever Shinigami-sama did to take the souls away hurt him?" Kid wrapped an arm around her.

"He probably just needs more time to recuperate." He soothed. "You've been out of it for a while yourself." He rested his head against hers. "It seems like forever since we were able to talk to each other."

"I'm fine really." Crona insisted. "You don't have to be so worried about me."

"But I am." Kid sighed. "If anything happened to you-"

"Then let's plan this out." Crona interrupted. "No madder what, we have to stick together. So we wait until I'm allowed to leave the room. Then what."

"I guess I could show you around the school again. I doubt you'll be able to leave on missions for a while, at least not with me anymore. But I'm sure we could talk Death Scythe into letting us go to Death Bucks for lunch once you're well enough." Crona nodded and rested against him.

"It'd be nice to see a city that isn't completely decrepit." She agreed.

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone would love to come with us. I can see if we can get you a room at Gallows Manor."

"Where's that?" Crona asked,

"That where my partners and I live."

"I'd like that." She gave him a quick peck on the lips. The two talked the night away about their plans for the future. While nothing was set in stone, they were content at the moment with each others company.

-8-0-8-

With that, an ancient contract was fulfilled. With Pandora's bloodline tied to that of the shinigami, it had in a sense, come to an end. Hades' goal unite with his love had finally been realize, though it had come at the price of the world order. Yet, in doing so, made way for a new era. It would be centuries before the gap between witches and shinigami could begin to close, and even longer for the events caused by Asura's rebirth to become legend.

Even still, deep within the crumbling walls of Chernobyl, Asura's soul remained entrapped. Piece after piece of the red Kishen soul curled up like dead wall paper, trapped within the seal of a simple bird cage. Without a body, Asura's fabricated soul would deteriorate slowly. However, long after his soul was destroyed, his madness would live on in the long abandoned city.

**Final notes: A huge thanks to Soul Eater, the Headless Horsemen, Corpse Bride, and Wicked for inspiring me to write this piece.**

***Unofficial Soundtrack***

**1) Purgatory and the Canary Girl – Kagamine Len**

**2) Fallout – Marianas Trench**

**3) Children – VV Brown**

**4) Poisoned With Love – Neon Hitch**

**5) Skyscraper – Demi Lovato**

**6) Symmetry – Little Boots**

**7) Blackout – Breathe Carolina**

**8) Bass Down Low – Dev Ft. The Cataracs**

**9) The Ballad of Mona Lisa – Panic! At The Disco**

**10) Waiting For The End – Linkin Park**

**11) Pearl – Katy Perry**

**12) Savior – Lights**

**13) One Family (Score) – Tarzan Soundtrack**

**14) First Rage-Chain – Once More With Feeling**


End file.
